A Foolishly Foolish Christmas Carol
by CzarThwomp
Summary: It's Christmastime in Los Angeles and Franziska von Karma will have none of the foolish holiday. But on Christmas Eve, a literal ghost from her past appears before her to save her from the horrid fate that awaits her if she continues down her current path. Can Franziska be redeemed with the help of three Christmas spirits, or will she suffer the perfect punishment in the end?
1. Bah Foolish Humbug!

**Disclaimer: All material used in this fanfiction belongs to its respective owner(s) and I am not associated with them in any way, shape, or form. I, the writer of this fanfic, claim none of it as my own in this non-profit fanfic.**

 **A/N:** With the beginning of December, or the beginning of October if you are to believe the stores, marks the start of the holiday season. So in celebration of this festive time of year, I've decided to write this story which I hope I can finish by Christmas. So with that in mind, my update schedule for the month of December will have a focus on this story. But while this may be the case, I will also try my best to update my other stories as well- _The Imperial Daddy_ in particular.

With that introduction done, I hope that you guys enjoy the start of this new story!

* * *

It was the evening of Christmas Eve. The sun had begun to set, blanketing the city in the amber glow of twilight; and while the region was known for its temperate winters at the expense of scorching summers that felt like the surface of the sun, there was a bit of a chill in the air- just cold enough to encourage people to wear a light coat at the very least..

But the weather was the least of anyone's worries as the vast majority of people were scurrying around the city in preparation for the following day's festivities, whether out of excitement or the classic last-minute rush for gifts. And just like with the rest of the city's inhabitant's, Christmas Fever didn't skip over the Prosecutor's Office as the legal prodigies, and Winston Payne, spent these final working hours on focusing for their holiday plans: buying presents online, contacting their families to make plans, and for Winston, begging his wife over the phone not to leave him for a mall Santa.

As for Edgeworth, being the logical, no-nonsense guy that he was, he had accomplished everything that he needed to do by the end of the first week in December. So with that burden off of his plate, he was able to focus his efforts on actually lightening his post-holiday load by reading a case file.

However, Edgeworth's hopes of working in peace were suddenly dashed as Gumshoe thrusted the office door open with absolutely no warning, causing a loud bang to ring out as it smacked into the wall.

"Mr. Edgeworth! Mr. Edgeworth!" Gumshoe bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"What the devil, Gumshoe?! Are you trying to give me the vapors?!" Edgeworth shrieked, his eyes as wide as saucers as he slammed the manila folder on his desk.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Edgeworth!" Gumshoe stated as he ran over to his superior's desk with a look of anger in his eyes. "But I'll have you know that I'm being unjustly bullied!"

"Gumshoe…" Edgeworth sighed with exasperation as he put a hand over his face. "If it's those blasted Rainbow Squirts over that box of cookies again… I mean, I'll call their troop leader again, but this madness has to stop!"

"No, Mr. Edgeworth, it's-"

"Scruffy, quit this tomfoolery and face me this instant!" Franziska yelled as she stormed into the office with her whip at the ready.

"Look, Gumshoe, I know Franziska's whip can be quite painful after growing up in the same house as her, but as I've said before, I can't control her. You might as well ask me to make the wind stop blowing." Edgeworth calmly stated with a look of indifference, having been subjected to similar issues regarding his adoptive sister and nearly every other prosecutor in the building.

"It's not the whippings I'm upset about, sir- well, not the main thing. No, I'm in here because Ms. von Karma is making me help her out on a case tomorrow… on Christmas!" Gumshoe yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the silver-haired prosecutor who responded by whipping the underpaid detective.

"Is this true, Franziska?"

"Scruffy is foolishly overreacting, Miles Edgeworth." Franziska stated with crossed arms. "I merely told him that I need a detective to help me investigate a crime scene tomorrow so that I can construct a perfect case. But the second I brought it up, Scruffy foolishly started yelling at me and then rushed over here."

"Franziska…" Edgeworth said as he narrowed his gaze, causing his sister to wince back.

"Ok, maybe I was a bit forceful…"

"A bit!" Gumshoe scoffed. "You told me that if I didn't help you out tomorrow for no pay, you'd cut my salary in half after you whipped me a bunch of times! And when I tried to use the chair in my workspace as some kind of shield to protect myself, you ripped it outta my hands and broke it on the ground! Can you believe that, Mr. Edgeworth?! My good chair, ruined! Now where am I supposed to sit?!"

"FRANZISKA!" Edgeworth roared in an aghast-filled tone with a look of utter shock.

"Don't give me that look, Miles Edgeworth! It was cheap, plastic lawn chair that was held together with some duct tape that was probably found at the dump."

"I'll have you know, Ms. von Karma, that I got that lawn chair from Great Will for free after 30 minutes of begging and crying!" Gumshoe objected as he glowered at his silver-haired superior.

"Whatever, Scruffy." Franziska dismissingly stated with a wave of her hand as she kept her gaze fixed on her 'little' brother. "Look, Miles Edgeworth, the point, is that Scruffy is the cheapest and most passive detective in this city, ensuring that I can bend him and the investigation to my will with the utmost of ease."

"I don't care what absurd reasons you have for trying to impose Gumshoe working on Christmas, Franziska. The good detective will have tomorrow off and that's final." Edgeworth sternly stated as he slammed his right palm on his desk.

"But, Miles Edgeworth-" Franziska attempted to object, but was cut off by her adoptive brother.

"No buts, Franziska. Take a good look at Gumshoe- those baggy eyes, that sloppily-shaven face, that overcoat that reeks of broth and urine- what does he have to live for? This is the man who actually cried when I took him to a restaurant and he got spaghetti with parmesan cheese. He has nothing, Franziska, NOTHING! All the poor detective has going for him is the raise that I gave him back in April and the possibility that he could get Christmas off. So you take away the latter from him, you run the risk of Gumshoe reaching his breaking point and killing us all!"

"Quit spouting foolishness, Miles Edgeworth!" Franziska snapped as she whipped her 'little' brother. "Scruffy's a gentle giant who couldn't even hurt a fly. The only things that foolish detective is capable of killing are time and expectations."

"That's what we thought about Damon Gant before it was discovered that he murdered not one, but two people with his own two hands; and this was a guy who was beloved by all, had power and influence, and was paid enough to eat a balanced diet. If a guy like that is capable of such atrocities, think of the horrors that a man like Gumshoe, who has a gun and nothing to lose, can do." Edgeworth stated with a worried look in his eyes

"You tell her, Mr. Edgeworth!" Gumshoe chimed in as he pumped his fist in pride.

"Then why can't we give Scruffy New Year's Day off? It's only a week away and I'll be out of the country." Franziska groaned with crossed arms as she squeezed her bicep.

"It's not the day off, but rather the principle behind it. You see, Franziska, Christmas is a time that encourages the expression of humanity's most positive traits: compassion, joviality, and a desire to help those in need. That is why even though I may be partially to blame for Gumshoe's pitiful situation, I am using the holiday season to make things right by giving the good detective a day off, as well as a little bonus. Merry Christmas, Gumshoe." Edgeworth said as he handed Gumshoe an envelope.

"Wow, thanks Mr. Edgeworth!" The detective replied with excitement as he took the envelope and ripped it open, his eyes beaming as he saw the contents inside. "A-A check for $500! Sir, you shouldn't have!"

"You speak too highly of me, Detective." Edgeworth smirked. "Like I said before, it's the least I can do for all the pay cuts I've given you over the years. I would have given you more, but I didn't want to run the risk of you feeling awkward."

"You fools make me sick!" Franziska venomously stated as she whipped the two men. "I would expect this kind of foolish warmth and sentiment from a foolish fool like Scruffy, but you, Miles Edgeworth? I would have thought that if anyone in this foolish city could see past the foolish charade of this foolish holiday, it would be you!"

"Believe me, Franziska, I was exactly like you a mere three years ago. I hated Christmas, seeing it as a cruel, ironic reminder of the father that I loved so dearly being taken away from me as a boy of tender age…" Edgeworth sighed as a sullen look washed over him. "I was angry at everything: the attorney who acquitted the man I thought to be my father's killer, the judge who refused to give me justice, and most importantly myself. Anyone who tried to help me, I turned away, enraged at how little they could truly grasp my pain. But then came that fateful Christmas season where I was arrested for the murder of Robert Hammond… You know the old saying, 'you reap what you sew'? Well, I understood it after that dreadful time, where my cold, merciless disposition, coupled with the overwhelming amount of evidence against me made it where virtually no one would help me, police and attorneys alike… except two people: Gumshoe…" The maroon-cladded prosecutor gestured to the detective. "And Phoenix Wright. These were two men who I had caused nothing but pain and suffering for over the course of three months and who had the most justification to let me rot in prison, yet they were able to put those grievances aside and save my life. That, Franziska, is the meaning of Christmas."

"How foolish!" Franziska scoffed as she whipped her adopted brother. "What would Papa say if he heard such foolish drivel spewing forth from your foolish mouth?"

"I don't know, Franziska. What would a man who religiously believed in Santa say about Christmas?" Edgeworth smirked.

"All the more reason to hate this foolishly foolish holiday!" Franziska snarled as she pulled at her whip. "Papa loved Christmas more than all of you foolish fools put together and what did that get him? His first loss in court and death! If Papa wasn't so foolish, he'd still be here prosecuting perfectly!"

"But I wouldn't." Edgeworth sullenly responded.

For what felt like an eternity, silence filled the air. The tension in the room was visible to all as Franziska seethed in anger with gritted teeth, her whip at the ready for any further conflict, while Edgeworth just calmly sat there, flashing his adoptive sister his infamous glare, and frankly, it made Gumshoe feel uncomfortable. So, in an attempt to ease the awkwardness, the detective cleared his throat, directing the attention of the two prosecutors to him as he broke the silence.

"Well, thanks again for the money, Mr. Edgeworth. It… It really means a lot to know that I have a boss who cares. I'm just sorry that I didn't get you anything."

"Don't mention it, Gumshoe." Edgeworth said with a light chuckle. "The best present you could possibly give me would be the knowledge that you'll enjoy yourself, in addition to your presence at my Christmas party at the Gatewater Imperial Hotel tomorrow evening from five to eight."

"I'll be there, sir! But is it ok if I'm not there right at the start?" Gumshoe asked as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"Not at all, Gumshoe. But may I inquire as to why?"

"I'm inviting Maggey over to my apartment for dinner tomorrow!" Gumshoe proudly stated. "I think I have a really good chance of getting her to be my girlfriend, sir! I can just feel it in my bones… or maybe that's just the osteoporosis."

"Yes, Scruffy, because nothing's more romantic than sharing a single saltine cracker with the love of your life while burning a piece of cardboard for warmth." Franziska sneered with a waggle of her finger, earning a glare from her 'little' brother.

"You're wrong, Ms. von Karma, because thanks to Mr. Edgeworth's gift, I'm going all out: non-expired meat, electric lights, water that contains no traces of liquid and/or solid waste. We'll be like royalty!"

"Well, I wish you the best of luck on your date, Gumshoe." Edgeworth kindly stated as he pat the detective's shoulder.

"Thanks, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"And while we're on the topic of tomorrow's party, I'm almost certain as to what the answer to this next question will be, but as your adopted brother who cares about you, I feel that I must ask it anyways: Will you be coming, Franziska?" Edgeworth warmly asked, earning, as he expected, a lash from his adoptive sister's whip.

"Of course I'm not going, Miles Edgeworth, because unlike you, I cannot afford to lose even a single day of work! Now, if you two are done being foolish, I have a perfect case to prepare! Franziska huffed as she marched towards the office door.

"Suit yourself, Franziska. Oh, one more thing…"

"Yes, Miles Edgeworth?" Franziska asked as she turned around to face her adopted brother.

"Merry Christmas." Edgeworth responded with a smug grin.

"Bah foolish humbug!" Franziska yelled as she whipped the red-cladded prosecutor.

"And have a Happy New Year, sir!" Gumshoe jovially chimed in as the silver-haired tried to leave the office once again, prompting her to turn around again and whip him twice.

"Bah foolish humbug!" Franziska snarled as she stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

"Foolish Miles Edgeworth…" Franziska mumbled as she sat behind her desk, filling out a perfect case file that would ensure her victory in an upcoming trial. "Helping those in need… Bah! Let's see how high-and-mighty that foolishly foolish excuse for a foolish prosecutor is when the Chief Prosecutor showers me with praise for my perfect trials in the next few days. Now all that's left to do is-" The silver-haired prosecutor's train of thought was derailed by the sound of someone knocking at her door. "Whip the fool who has foolishly decided to interrupt my work!"

Franziska slammed the manila folder on her desk before stomping over to the closed door with clenched fists and a death glare, growling with each aggressive step.

"I swear to God, Klavier Gavin, if you're out there with that foolish mistletoe again, I will grab that foolish weed and shove it straight up your foolish-" Franziska flung open the door to find not Klavier, but rather a tall woman with long, brown hair wearing a white button-down blouse, a green coat and matching athletic pants, and pink tennis shoes. "Who the heck are you?" The prodigy prosecutor asked with a confused look.

"Hello, Prosecutor von Karma. I'm Constance Courte, a professor for the judge courses at the Themis Legal Academy, and let me say that it is an honor to meet a prosecutor as accomplished as yourself." The woman said with a look of warmth in her eyes and a smile to match, the kind of warmth one would expect from a teacher.

"I'm sure it is." Franziska curtly responded with crossed arms. "Now tell me why you have foolishly decided to come here and interrupt my work."

"I didn't mean to cause any inconvenience, Prosecutor von Karma. It's just we at the Themis Legal Academy would like to collect money to help fund our scholarship programs, and what better time than Christmas, a holiday deeply rooted in the virtues of goodwill and charity?"

"Perfect. Then I'd suggest doing so away from my office." Franziska coldly stated as she started to close the door, only for Constance to hold it open.

"I don't think you understand why I'm here, Prosecutor von Karma. There are hundreds of incredibly talented adolescents who would make wonderful attorneys, prosecutors, and judges who we unfortunately can't accept into our school due to their families'… lack of wealth. But by raising money for scholarships with donations from wealthy prosecutors such as yourself, we can give them a future!"

"Are there no more state-sponsored jobs, like construction work or cleaning the sewers?"

"Well… no, Prosecutor von Karma." Constance reluctantly stated with a look of confusion.

"And the prisons, have they been foolishly shut down and no longer needed?"

"I wish I could say that they weren't…. So, how much can I put you down for?"

"Nothing."

"So you wish to be anonymous?" Constance asked with a slight glimmer of hope in her eye.

"I wish to be left alone!" Franziska roared, lashing the professor's left shoulder with her whip. "I spend each and every day tirelessly working to forge my path as a prosecutor, and I do not intend to waste neither my valuable time nor money pandering to the foolish peasants who only serve to sully the profession! I have been forced to support the foolish establishments that I have previously mentioned via taxes and exist for the sole purpose of giving such fools like the ones you've mentioned a purpose in life. If these foolish adolescents are in such dire straits, they should go there."

"But Prosecutor von Karma, can you really make such a claim with a clear conscience? How would you feel knowing that you denied an aspiring prosecutor similar to Klavier Gavin or Sebastian Debeste the chance to reach their full potential?" Constance pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"I would be quite happy with myself, for the only good things to come from both of them is the disbarment of Phoenix Wright and making me look better by comparison. Any fool who wishes to follow in the footsteps of those foolishly foolish prosecutors is better off dying and reducing the surplus population. Good evening, ma'am."

"But-" Constance tried to voice one final plea, only to be cut off by Franziska whipping her again.

"Foolish Humbug!" Franziska shrieked as she slammed her office door and returned to her desk, only to hear another knock right as she was about to sit back down. "That foolish fool…"

"GO AWAY!" Franziska screamed at the top of her lungs as she flung open the door. However, once again, the silver-haired prosecutor had mistaken the identity of her visitor, for instead of finding the foolish professor, she found a crying Sebastian.

"N-Normally people don't tell me that until _after_ I say something!" Sebastian whimpered as he bent his baton.

"What do you want, Sebastian Debeste?" Franziska asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Is it so wrong for Debeste to say 'hi' to one of his friends?" Sebastian asked with a smug grin.

"Yes, especially when that person isn't your friend and you're foolishly keeping them from their work."

"Well, I just wanted to know if you'd like to come over to my house tomorrow around one in the afternoon and watch some Christmas movies with me."

"Not in a million years."

"You sure? 'Cause there'll be cookies, and candy canes, and hot cocoa, and Kay and Mr. Edgeworth and all the rest of our friends will be there- even that new guy, Prosecutor Blackquill. I heard that he's an o-taco and really likes anime, so I picked up some DVDs of _Cory in the House_ , the best anime ever made, to surprise him with tomorrow. So, are you interested in my saury?" Sebastian asked with his usual smug look.

"Even if I wasn't busy with work tomorrow, I would rather do anything _but_ that. Now if you'll excuse me, some of us have to get back to our jobs that we're actually good at." Franziska sneered as she slammed the door in the weepy prosecutor's face.

"Alright, Ms. von Karma. If… If that's what you want…" Sebastian sullenly whimpered as he slowly walked back to his office, his shoulders slumped as he tried his best to hold back his tears.

* * *

It was nighttime when Franziska finally left the Prosecutor's Office after hours of nonstop work. Of course, she was the last prosecutor to leave the building, even outstaying the chief prosecutor, but that didn't matter to her as she stepped out into the darkness of night that was awash with light from the numerous cars speeding about and the streetlights scattered about the sidewalk. In fact, if it wasn't for the cold snap that filled the air and the fact that several stores were starting to close their doors for the day, one wouldn't even think it was night- a view that was prevalent as hundreds of people carrying stacks of wrapped boxes, resembling college students that were trying to cram every last piece of information at their disposal for an exam, and others trying to lift so many shopping bags that they looked like they were in pain as their arms drooped like snow-laden branches.

Upon seeing these fools and their labors, Franziska couldn't help but flash them a sneer and chuckle to herself. She could not comprehend how anyone could be so foolish as to put themselves through so much trouble for a single day. But if those fools wished to foolishly subject themselves to such pain, who was Franziska to deny them? It was no skin off her back as she casually walked towards her apartment complex which was just a five minute walk down the street. But as the prodigy prosecutor made the short trek to her home, enjoying the sight of the fools scurrying about, she saw a sight that was simultaneously amusing and aggravating.

In her path to her apartment, Franziska saw Phoenix, who was wearing that foolish grey hoodie and ugly blue sock cap that he has been wearing every day since he was disbarred, singing Christmas carols on the side of the sidewalk with Maya, Pearl, his newly-adopted daughter who foolishly acted and dressed like a magician, and a tall man that she had never seen before with his long, blond hair styled into a drill that drooped over his left shoulder and was wearing a periwinkle suit and a pair of thin, ovular glasses. And from the look of it, they were happy- or at least everyone but the periwinkle-cladded man who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else- and Franziska would have none of that on her watch.

"Phoenix Wright, just where is your foolish mind at?" Franziska growled as she stormed over to the ex-attorney, pulling at her whip and glaring daggers at him as he just shot her a cold, aloof stare.

"Well, I hope it's in my head. Otherwise, I don't know how I'll get back home." Phoenix wryly responded with a dry chuckle, keeping his cool even as Franziska lashed him with her whip.

"Don't play the fool with me, Phoenix Wright!"

"Whose playing?" The attorney-turned-bum nonchalantly asked.

"You know what I mean, Phoenix Wright! Just what tomfoolery are you engaging in on a public street?"

"Well, Pearls and Trucy saw a Christmas movie where the characters were singing carols and begged us to take them out to do the same. So I agreed to take the girls out caroling to help make Trucy's first Christmas with us a memorable one."

"Plus, how could you say no to those cute little faces?" Maya squealed as she gestured to the young girls, who stared up at her with big eyes and happy smiles.

"By asking if you have a permit saying that you have permission to carol in this area." Franziska bluntly responded, completely unfazed by the young girls' cuteness.

"Per-mit? What's that?" Pearl asked with a confused look on her face as she nervously bit her thumb.

"Yes, Pearl Fey, a permit. If you don't have one, I can have the lot of you arrested for disturbing the peace."

"But we're not disturbing the peace; we're only spreading Christmas joy!" Trucy objected with a scrunched up scowl and her hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Well, tell that to the Judge when he sends you to prison for a long, long time and your family never sees you again." Franziska sneered with a waggle of her finger, prompting Trucy to hide behind her adoptive father's leg, seldomly peeking out to look at the silver-haired prosecutor.

"Actually, Ms. von Karma, if you are indeed the infamous prosecutor that you are, you should be well aware that lifetime jail sentences are not handed down in this nation for merely disturbing the peace, especially for young children such as Trucy." The blond man calmly stated with a collected grin. "That is, if you could actually make a case that we are indeed disturbing the peace. Now, I don't know how you handle matters such as these in other countries, but here in the United States of America, we have Freedom of Speech, a basic liberty that allows citizens to express themselves without prosecution so long as they do so in a way that causes no damage, either physically or psychologically, or forces their beliefs unto others by law."

"And just who do you think you are to foolishly explain legal matters to a von Karma?" Franziska hissed as she glowered at the blond man.

"You haven't heard of me? Does the name 'Kristoph Gavin' ring any bells?" The man smirked.

"Never heard of you." Franziska curtly responded.

"You must be joking. I'm Kristoph Gavin, the Coolest Defense in the West! We even faced off against each other in court last week during the trial of State vs. Sheila Fergitt." Kristoph irately stated with a scowl.

"Oh, that explains it. You're a foolish defense attorney, just like Phoenix Wright was. Sorry about that, it's just that I've crushed so many foolishly foolish attorneys that most of them start to blend together." Franziska sneered with a waggle of her finger, causing the blond attorney's face to redden.

Though Kristoph, living up to his nickname, decided against yelling at the prosecutor who had so rudely compared him to his greatest nemesis in favor of taking a few deep breaths, allowing for his collected grin to return. "I assure you, Ms. von Karma, that I am no fool. I am a renowned defense attorney capable of giving any prosecutor a challenge."

"Well, you certainly had me fooled when I crushed your foolish case to dust within the first hour. Not to mention, you can't be all that bright if you're associating yourself with a foolish evidence forger like Phoenix Wright."

"Wright is too honest and naïve a man to even think of forging evidence, Ms. von Karma. No, on that fateful day, he was setup to take a fall by someone who is as intelligent as they are devious." Kristoph smirked.

"And how can you be so sure about that, Kristoph Gavin?"

"Because unlike you prosecutors with your hearts of stone, us defense attorneys actually believe that people are innocent until proven guilty with hard evidence. So, Ms. von Karma, what proof do _you_ have of Mr. Wright's guilt?"

"Well, how else could that foolishly foolish attorney ever beat not only me, but also my Papa and little brother? He obviously forged the evidence in every trail he has ever won!" Franziska snarled as she whipped Phoenix, though he just responded by shooting her a cold glare.

"C'mon girls, and Kristoph, we don't have to take this." Phoenix curtly stated.

"Yeah, we don't need Franziska ruining our good time! We'll just sing our carols at Big Willy's, the Happiest Place on Earth!" Maya chimed in.

"Actually, Ms. Fey, that description is for Disney World." Kristoph pointed out.

"Kristoph, Kristoph, Kristoph…" Phoenix chuckled with a shake of his head. "You don't know Maya."

As the group proceeded to walk away, a feeling of pride overwhelmed Franziska, prompting her to make one final jab and get in the last word.

"That's right, Phoenix Wright! Make like your attorney's badge and disappear!"

Upon hearing this insult, Trucy marched over to Franziska with a death glare and her hands on her hips.

"Don't insult my daddy, you nasty woman! He may not be some big lawyer anymore, but he's the nicest daddy ever! The only reason he even presented that stupid diary page was because _I_ gave it to him! He was so trusting and cared so much about saving my first daddy that he was willing to use that evidence with no doubts! And even after that, he didn't hesitate to take me into his home and raise me like his own daughter because he is that nice of a man! If you're so petty as to insult my daddy without considering all the nice stuff he's done, then I hope that Santa gives you lots of coal!"

"I don't have to worry about that, foolish little girl, because Santa doesn't exist. And good thing that he doesn't, because he would give you coal as well for foolishly ruining your new father's life." Franziska sneered, prompting Trucy to burst into tears. "That's right, cry like the foolish little girl that you are!"

"Leave my friend alone, you mean, scary prosecutor lady!" Pearl screamed as she rushed over to Franziska and gave her a powerful kick to the shin, causing the prodigy prosecutor to scream out in pain and grip her shin as the younger girls returned to their wards who were merely watching the scene with looks of shock.

"I can't believe that Franziska would try to take the magic of Santa away from Trucy. Isn't that poor girl allowed a single shred of innocence after everything she has gone through?" Phoenix angrily asked as his group resumed walking away from the cantankerous prosecutor.

"I know! She is such a Scrooge!" Maya responded.

"Oh, please. Like any ghosts would try to redeem her." Phoenix sneered.

"Yeah, she would probably try to whip them while telling them how foolish they are." Maya giggled.

"That woman has some serious issues." Kristoph nonchalantly chimed in.

"You don't know the half of it, Kristoph." Phoenix stated.

Having recovered from her injury, Franziska snarled in the direction of Phoenix's departing group before resuming her walk back to her apartment complex, though she was so overcome with rage that she couldn't help but start singing.

 _Leeches and bootlickers and foolishly fools,_

 _Prigs and bloodsuckers and obnoxious little mules,_

 _Scheming shysters, equivocating liars,_

 _Spreading forth corruption as they march across the earth,_

 _Putting strain on their fellow men,_

 _And living with great mirth,_

 _Sullying everything that they foolishly see,_

 _Striking down fools at first glance,_

 _Just like me._

 _Fool!_

Franziska whipped a smiling plastic elf that was standing outside a beauty parlor.

 _Fool!_

Franziska tripped a woman who was carrying several presents and bags, causing her to fall flat on her face.

 _Fool!_

Franziska whipped a charity Santa who was ringing a bell.

 _Fool!_

Franziska shoved a small child who was enjoying a candy cane out of her way.

 _I hate fools!_

 _I hate fools!_

 _Fools are such hideous creatures,_

 _Awfully insidious creatures,_

 _Foolishly whippable creatures._

 _I hate fools!_

 _I execrate them!_

Franziska stopped to glower into the window of a nearby pub, where Winston Payne was drowning out his sorrows with a mug of ale.

 _When I see my foolish peers,_

 _Sitting on their foolish rears,_

 _Gulping down their foolish beers,_

 _I hate fools!_

 _I detest them!_

 _I despise them!_

Franziska stormed away from the pub, her efforts being focused on reaching her apartment building that was now in eyeshot.

 _Foolish fools who get arrested,_

 _Beg and cry when they are bested,_

 _Scream and plead for my mercy,_

 _Their beings becoming foolishly pursy…_

 _To tender me,_

 _Diligent me,_

 _Honest, efficient, and as compassionate as can be._

 _These kinds of things pique an interest in me…_

 _Because I hate fools!_

 _I abhor fools!_

 _I loathe and abominate fools!_

 _The world is full of foolish souls,_

 _Bringing home pitiful bankrolls,_

 _Foolish minds that are more like black holes,_

 _Where basic logic I can't see._

 _It's perfectly obvious why I hate fools,_

 _And I don't care if they hate me._

Franziska growled as she opened the door to her apartment building and slammed it shut behind her.

* * *

Later that night, dressed in her bluish-silver nightgown, Franziska laid in her posh queen-sized bed, dreaming pleasant dreams of whipping foolish fools, when she was suddenly woken up by the sound of loud, stomping footsteps and clattering chains.

"Ms. von Karmaaaa…" A moaning, wailing voice whispered from beyond the bedroom door, prompting Franziska to quickly sit upwards.

"Who-Who's there?" The prodigy prosecutor asked, trying her best to sound brave as she squeezed the life out of her covers.

"Ms. von Karmaaaa…" The voice said again, only this time slightly louder.

"Who… Whoever you are, it would be in your best interest not to try anything foolish!" Franziska nervously threatened, her breathing becoming shallow as she grabbed her whip from her nightstand.

At that moment, a blue, translucent man with shoulder-length white hair and glasses phased through the door and into the room, though his movement was impeded by the chains fastened to his body, which were weighed down at the ends with miscellaneous objects, such as knives, guns, and even a knee-high filing cabinet.

"Ms. von Karmaaaa…" The man moaned once again, though this time Franziska was able to see the pained look on his face as he approached her.

"Who-Who are you?" Franziska stuttered, her complexion becoming paler at the sight of the specter.

"Ask me who I was." The man ordered in a hushed tone.

"Ok, then who _were_ you?" Franziska asked with a roll of her eyes, her fear being replaced with a feeling of irritation, for she was in no mood for some phantom's riddles.

"In life, I was your investigation partner, Akbey Hicks. Though knowing you, Ms. von Karma, you do not believe in me, yes?"

"Of course I don't believe in you, you foolish fool!" Franziska snapped as she tried to whip the former Interpol agent, only for her whip to go right through his body, much to her shock.

"WHY DO YOU DENY MEEE!?" Akbey wailed at the top of his lungs as he got in the silver-haired woman's face, his chains rattling and clanging as his arms vigorously shook with rage.

"Alright, I believe in you!" Franziska shrieked while covering her ears. "Now will you please stop that foolish wailing and get out of my personal space?"

With a nod, the former Interpol agent slowly floated a little ways back, allowing for the prodigy prosecutor to notice his chains.

"Why are you covered in chains, Akbey Hicks?"

Upon hearing this question, Akbey held up several of the chains and gave them a good, long look before letting out a woeful sigh. "This is the chain that I forged in life. Link by link... Meter by meter... Every piece of evidence that I used to fulfil my ends at the expense of others forged this imposing chain over the course of my career. Though I can only imagine how long and heavy your chain will be, Ms. von Karma... I was blind! I was unable to see how I squandered my life by pushing away my friends and family for the sake of my career!" The deceased man roared with clenched fists.

"But you were always a good man of justice!" Franziska objected in a terror-filled tone.

"JUSTICE!? Mankind was my justice! The common welfare was my justice! My friends and family were my justice... And yet I had failed in all of those aspects!" Akbey angrily retorted before pushing his glasses up and calming down with a deep breath. "Sorry about that. Anyways, my time in this world is nearly gone, so I'll make this quick, Ms. von Karma. It is not too late for you to escape my gruesome fate... A chance for repentance and mercy..."

"You were always a good partner, Akbey Hicks." Franziska stated with a grin.

"I know. Now you will be visited by three ghosts who-"

"What tomfoolery is this, Akbey Hicks? If you're going to save me, then save me already!" Franziska growled as she pulled at her whip.

"As I was saying…" Akbey hissed, not pleased at having been interrupted. "Expect the first ghost to arrive exactly an hour from now. Good luck, Ms. von Karma, because knowing you, you'll need it."

Akbey then picked up his chains and slowly phased through the door in the same way that he entered the room, leaving Franziska all alone.

"How foolish!" Franziska scoffed. "That was all probably some foolish hallucination brought on by those foolish chocolates that I ate right before bed. But none the less, I have to focus on getting my beauty sleep so that I am fully alert and perfect for the busy day ahead of me."

Franziska proceeded to lay back down, nestling herself in the comforting warmth of her clean, fluffy covers, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier with each passing second as she was lulled into a deep sleep. However, that sleep was short-lived as an hour later, the silver-haired woman was stirred awake by the loud ringing of a grandfather clock across the room signaling that it was 11 o'clock.


	2. Looking Back on the Foolish Past

"Just as I thought, it was all just a foolish figment of my imagination." Franziska smirked as she saw that it was just her in the lavish bedroom. "But when did I get that grandfather clock? I don't remember ever buying one…" The prodigy prosecutor noted as she stared at the large, bulky, ornate clock that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. "No matter, what's important now is that I get my sleep."

However, before Franziska could fall back asleep, right at 11:01, she was startled by Mia Fey in translucent specter form, her normal outfit that did much to accentuate her well-endowed figure being replaced with a pure white robe that was equally revealing, phasing through the door as she casually floated over to the silver-haired woman's bed.

"Sorry I'm late." Mia nonchalantly stated. "Of all the times Phoenix and Maya could have chosen to finally clean out those case files in my old office, it's when he no longer has work as an attorney, yet I have work as a spirit."

"Work?" Franziska asked with a look of confusion. "What foolish excuse for work could you possibly have in my bedroom, Mia Fey?"

"Weren't you paying attention to Agent Hicks? I'm the first spirit sent here to help you redeem yourself, the Ghost of Christmas Past, to be exact."

"Ghost of Christmas Past? What are you going to show me, all the sad, lonely Christmases you've had as a child in some foolish attempt to guilt me into loving this foolishly foolish holiday? Because if you are, Mia Fey, then you are even more of a fool than your former foolish student."

"I'm not here to show you my past, Ms. von Karma, I'm here to show you yours. But I digress; we have a lot to cover in a short time, so grab my hand and come with me." Mia ordered as she extended her arm towards Franziska.

"I will do no such thing, Mia Fey!" The silver-haired woman snapped. "I have a busy day tomorrow and I can't waste valuable sleeping time foolishly gallivanting with foolish spirits such as yourself."

"Like you have a choice in the matter?" Mia sneered.

"What are you talking about, Mia Fey? The only thing a von Karma can't choose is not to be perfect, and in this case, I choose to say right where I am and there is nothing you can do about it." Franziska huffed with crossed arms.

"As you said before, Ms. von Karma, I'm Phoenix's mentor. I taught that man everything he knows- every bluff, every cross-examination strategy, and how to flip a hopeless situation into a positive one like a pancake on a hot stove. So if I say you're grabbing my hand and coming with me, then you're grabbing my hand and coming with me." Mia smirked as she slowly floated over to Franziska.

"Over my dead body, you foolishly foolish excuse for a dead defense attorney!" The prodigy prosecutor snarled as she tried to whip Mia, only for her whip to once again simply phase right through its target. Though Franziska, being the suborn woman that she was, attempted to whip the busty spirit several more times, only for every lash to go right through her.

"You know, for a woman who became a prosecutor at 13, you have an awfully hard time grasping the concept of _Ghost_ of Christmas Past." Mia sneered.

"It's a force of habit, you foolish woman! It's not like I deal with ghosts on a daily basis." Franziska angrily retorted as she pulled at her whip.

"Well, then tonight's going to be really something." Mia stated as she grabbed Franziska's hand, causing the silver-haired woman to float out of her bed.

"Put me down this instant, Mia Fey!" Franziska commanded as she squirmed about, but to no avail.

"I'll put you down soon enough. Oh, by the way, you're not afraid of heights, right?"

"N-No..." Franziska reluctantly stated, having no idea why this foolish ghost would ask such a foolish question.

"Good." Mia said with a mischievous grin.

"Wait, why is that- GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Franziska screamed at the top of her lungs as she and Mia sped forth, phasing right through the bedroom wall and high into the cloudless LA night sky.

* * *

As the two women soared above the busy streets, where the speeding cars zipping about looked like mere ants and the mighty skyscrapers appeared as toothpicks, Franziska couldn't help but feel both amazed and terrified simultaneously. Of course, one of the primary reasons was the fact that she and Mia were up so high, but the bigger cause was the fact that Franziska could see the entire world beneath her literally changing before her eyes as LA transformed into Dresden, Germany, with even the time turning from night to day.

"Do you recognize where we are?"

"How could I not, Mia Fey? This is Dresden, the perfect town that holds the honor of being my birthplace."

"Right. And over there is your childhood home." Mia stated as she used her free hand to gesture to the large, imposing mansion that they were quickly descending towards. "Ok, Ms. von Karma, we're going to be landing very shortly. Though before we do, it's important that I tell you-"

However, before Mia could finish her sentence, she suddenly disappeared, causing Franziska to scream in terror as she plummeted towards the mansion, dreading the injuries and strong possibility of death that would result from her crashing through the roof and several floors, leaving behind holes in the shape of her body like something out of a cartoon. But much to her surprise, Franziska merely phased through the roof and top two floor of her childhood home and landed right outside the parlor without a scratch.

"Thank God." Franziska sighed in relief as she picked herself up off of the ground. "I thought…" The prodigy prosecutor stopped midsentence as she gazed upon the scene before her with saucer-sized eyes.

In the middle of the room was a large Christmas tree, covered with the numerous Santa-themed ornaments that her father held so dear, as she, as a four-year-old child wearing an identical nightgown to the one she was currently wearing, with the exception of the smaller size, was gleefully tearing open a perfectly wrapped present with childlike vigor. To her left sat an 11-year-old Miles Edgeworth, wearing a pair of maroon pajamas, unwrapping the present before him with the utmost refinement and precision, like a surgeon operating on a patient, serving as the antithesis to her chaotic frenzy. And to her right sat her 17-year-old sister, Gilberta, who looked identical to her in nearly every way- face, hair color, body shape- with the only difference being the older sister's straight, long hair that extended down to her lower back, her grey nightgown, and death glare towards the boxed stream press in her hand.

But the most shocking sight of all to Franziska was not her younger self at the tree, but rather on the couch off to the left. For right next to her father, who was wearing a tacky sweater with a reindeer wearing an ugly outfit with the caption 'Donner-ing My Gay Apparel' with an uncharacteristically large grin, sat a stern-faced woman who looked eerily similar to how she currently looked, save for a few small wrinkles around her icy grey eyes which only appeared sterner from behind her rectangular glasses and that her bluish-silver hair was styled in a bun. Though unlike Franziska, this woman's everyday outfit did not have a black vest, instead consisting of a simple white blouse and a long black dress that extended down to her ankles.

"Mama…?" Franziska gasped with a tone of disbelief as Mia suddenly appeared right next to her.

"Sorry about that. Phoenix and Maya had forgotten the code for their DVR."

"Mia Fey, what is this?" Franziska asked in a heavy tone.

"Your past, Ms. von Karma. Welcome to December 25, 2003."

"But why would-"

"Just watch and see…" Mia stated as she gestured to the parlor, where Gilberta had gotten up and stormed over to her parents.

"What the heck, Papa? I wanted a car, not some stupid stream press!" The moody adolescent roared as she threw the box at her father.

"Gilberta, you said that you wanted for us to bond, so I gave you an instrument that would allow for that to happen. Now we can spend many happy hours ironing out creases in my cravats as we talk about my latest victories. Who knows? Maybe I'll finally convince you to finally accept your destiny to become a perfect prosecutor. And then, when you have become a courtroom legend like me, you can buy as many cars as you want!" Manfred said with an upbeat tone bursting with Christmas joy.

"Oh, don't worry, Papa, because if that ever happens, a car will just pop out of my rectum." Gilberta wryly responded.

"And just what is that supposed to mean, girl?" Manfred sternly asked with crossed arms as he squeezed his bicep, his normal personality slightly bubbling to the surface.

"I am never going to become a prosecutor, and I am never going to press your stupid cravats! This is the worst Christmas gift ever and you are the worst father ever! I hate you, Papa!" Gilberta snarled with a stomp of her foot, prompting the younger Edgeworth and Franziska to stare at the scene with looks of shock, both children afraid to utter a single noise.

"Gilberta von Karma, that is no way to speak to your father!" The woman next to Manfred snapped.

"But, Mama…!" Gilberta whined.

"No buts, young lady!" The woman stated as she held up a single, unmoving finger, a sterner version of the von Karma trademark finger waggle. "I know that your father's ability to understand others is on par with that of a mentally-disabled circus monkey-"

"That is hardly called for, Hedy." Manfred objected.

"Stay out of this, Manfred." Hedy coldly retorted, flashing a quick scowl at her husband before redirecting her attention back to her eldest daughter. "Now Gilberta, it's Christmas, the only time of the year when we can actually spend more than five minutes together as a family, and I will not let you ruin it because you are in some foolish mood. Now apologize to your father this instant."

"I will not! And there is nothing you can do to make me!" Gilberta pouted with her arms crossed and nose pointed upwards.

"Now, Gilberta…" Hedy coldly stated as she pulled out a whip and cracked the air as a show of dominance.

"Fine! I'm sorry, Papa." Gilberta groaned.

"As you should be." The veteran prosecutor sneered.

"Manfred, don't talk to your daughter like that! I put up with your foolishly arrogant attitude for 364 days of the year, but not today. It's Christmas, a time for family members to bond and be merry, not tear each other apart from the inside with foolish bickering. Now bond with your daughter and give her a hug."

"I may be a man who loves Christmas more than life itself, but I am not hugging that defiant, unappreciative girl." Manfred venomously stated.

"Oh, like you're Mr. Perfect?" Gilberta retorted with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, yes I am." Manfred smirked.

"Two words, Papa: IS-7 penalty." Gilberta sneered.

"I'll show you a penalty when I-" Manfred bellowed, only to be interrupted by his wife cracking the air once again with her whip.

"Hug!" Hedy growled as she pulled at her whip in the same manner that her younger daughter would, prompting Manfred and Gilberta to reluctantly comply.

Upon seeing Manfred and Gilberta awkwardly hugging, as if Frankenstein's monster was trying to embrace a mannequin, Mia started laughing.

"What's so funny, Mia Fey?" Franziska asked, shifting her focus from the events transpiring in the parlor to the busty ghost.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that it's so obvious which side of the family you favor in regards to your appearance and… charming personality."

"That's foolish, Mia Fey. You can't get anything that isn't given." Franziska sullenly sighted as she lightly rubbed her right hand on nightgown's sleeve. "My mother… That Christmas was the last one we ever had together. A week later, she was found dead at the base of our grand stairwell. I… I never really got to know what she was like; I never got to talk to her… This whip…" The silver-haired prosecutor lightly pulled at her whip- not in the quick, aggressive manner she was accustomed to, but rather a soft, slow tug, as if to confirm its existence. "If it wasn't for this whip which was once hers, I could barely remember that she existed." Franziska whimpered as she struggled to hold back a tear in her eye.

"I know how you feel." Mia said in a warm, reassuring tone as she gently put a hand on the prodigy prosecutor's shoulder. "When I was 12, my mother fled from our village in the middle of the night without a trace, and never again did I see her face or hear her voice. Sure, she may have been alive, but to me and Maya, she might as well have been dead."

"Yes, but at least you _knew_ your mother." Franziska hissed in a tone rich with resentment.

"And you didn't? I saw the look in your eyes when you were watching that argument between your parents and sister. You remembered this incident and you have memories of what your mother was like as a person, no matter how few they are. Now, if she was still alive today, what do you think she would say about your attitude? How would she feel about you mocking Edgeworth, your adopted brother, for embracing the Christmas spirit?" Mia assertively asked with a finger point, as if she was pressuring a witness in court, causing Franziska to wince.

"It's not my fault that I'm the way I am!" The silver-haired prosecutor defensively retorted. After Mama passed on, we were left with just Papa, who made it his goal to make me and Miles Edgeworth into unfeeling, perfect prosecutors! In our household, compassion was weakness and goodwill but a foolish illusion."

"Which brings us to our second stop." Mia smirked as she reached for Franziska's hand, only for the younger woman take a step back.

"And have you drop me again? I think not, Mia Fey!"

"Look, I'm sorry about that. I never intended that to happen. Knowing Phoenix and Maya, since they've got the DVR working again, they won't bother us for the rest of the time."

"Do I look like a fool to you, Mia Fey?"

"No, which is why I was trying to be nice and calm you down. But since you're refusing to cooperate…"

Mia grabbed Franziska hand, causing the duo to speed into the air, phasing through the several ceilings above them and the mansion's roof before soaring off into the sky.

* * *

Once more, the landscape quickly changed, though this time the duo were flying over LA at dusk as they were speeding towards a mansion in a wealthy gated community on the city's outskirts. But unfortunately for Franziska, just like with the first flight, as she and Mia descended towards the large building that was covered with enough Christmas decorations to fill a public park, the busty ghost suddenly disappeared, causing the whip-happy prosecutor to plummet towards the mansion.

Though fortunately for her, just like the previous time, Franziska was unscathed as she phased through the roof and a few ceilings, though this time, she found herself not in a parlor, but in a library packed to the gills with dusty, aged books that filled the room with a musky odor reeking of mildew and aged paper. And in the middle of the library, Franziska saw a younger version of herself, about seven-years-old, sitting at a table reading a legal book with unwavering focus, the room filled with an eerie silence. However, that silence was suddenly broken when Manfred, who was wearing a red and green striped elf hat and a teal sweater with a snowman leaning back in a recliner made of ice with the caption 'Snow Worries' burst into the room with a wide, toothy grin that would give the Cheshire Cat a run for its money.

"Papa!" The young Franziska shrieked as she quickly turned to her father with a look of terror. "I know that I foolishly haven't finished my reading as I should have, but if you just give me a few more minutes, I'll-"

"Do not worry, Franziska, for it is Christmas Eve, a time for celebration and merriment! So close up that book and get your coat on, because we're going to do just that at Chief Prosecutor Debeste's Christmas party!"

"But Papa, what about my studies?" The young Franziska asked with a confused stare, knowing that on any other day her father would lose his mind if she was even thinking about slacking off for even a fraction of a second.

"You can study anytime, girl, but you can only see Santa so few times, and one of those is at the Christmas party!" Manfred squealed with excitement like a tween girl would if she was offered the chance to see her favorite boyband live. "So get to the car before I take you out there over my shoulder like I did with Miles. Now go!" The veteran prosecutor ordered with a snap of his fingers, prompting the younger Franziska to leap up from her chair and run for the door as fast as her little legs could carry her. Though much to Franziska's surprise, her child-self simply ran right through her without a second thought as she left the room, shortly before her father did the same.

"What the… What just happened?" Franziska asked as she tried to make sense of the situation.

"You don't exist here." Mia casually replied as she appeared next to the prodigy prosecutor. "All you see here are just memories of a bygone Christmas Eve."

"And just where were you?" Franziska huffed with a scowl.

"Sorry about that. There was a big spider on the side of the bathroom sink and Phoenix and Maya couldn't decide which one of them would squish it. So guess who they settled on…?" Mia sighed as she gestured to herself. "So, you ready to follow your father to that party?"

"I'm not making the foolish mistake of flying with you again, Mia Fey."

"I don't blame you. That's why we're teleporting." Mia stated as she grabbed Franziska's shoulder, causing them to disappear in a bright burst of light.

* * *

The duo then found themselves in the precinct's boardroom, which had been emptied of its usual furniture in exchange for a few standing tables, a small buffet line, and a life-sized ice sculpture of Heat Miser from _The Year Without a Santa Claus_ placed right in the middle of the area.

"Well, Debeste sure has a unique taste in decorations." Mia noted as she stared at the Heat Miser ice sculpture.

"For as long as I can remember, Blaise Debeste has always liked fire and red. So it's no surprise that Heat Miser is his favorite Christmas character, much to Papa's irritation since Heat Miser hates Santa. In fact, I remember one year when Blaise Debeste-"

"Santa! Santa! Santa!" Manfred excitedly screamed as he burst into the room as the younger Franziska and Edgeworth sheepishly followed behind, their gazes pointed downwards and their cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "Where's Santa!?"

"Hmm, I wonder what Christmas character your father liked?" Mia sarcastically asked, earning a scowl from Franziska.

"Over… there, sir." Edgeworth reluctantly replied, pointing to the back of the room where Blaise, who was dressed up as Santa, was sitting on large, Christmas-themed throne with a line of children before him who were contained on either side by two red velvet ropes.

"SANTAAAAA!" Manfred jovially bellowed at the top of his lungs as he made a beeline dash for who he thought was Saint Nick, with everyone in the room staying clear from his path. For not even the most hardened of detectives could ever hope to stop the 'perfect' prosecutor when he was experiencing one of his annual cases of Santa Madness.

"Oh crap, it's von Karma! He's early this year! Gant, you've gotta swap places with me now!" Blaise shrieked as he turned to his right and flashed a look of legitimate terror over at Gant, who was busy flirting with several female detectives.

"Just give me a minute, Santy Nick. It'd be awfully naughty if I just abruptly left these nice ladies mid-conversation…" Gant replied as he fiddled with his hair. "So, you ladies go swimming?" The orange-cladded detective suavely asked as he redirected his attention back to his female company.

"Damn it, Gant, I don't have a minute!" Blaise yelled, digging his fingers into the throne's arms as Manfred used his larger stature and cane to push his way through the line of children like a quarterback midgame, prompting the ones towards the front to duck under the velvet rope and flee from their spots in order to save themselves.

However, there was one little girl at the very front of the line who was completely oblivious to the situation at hand as she gently swayed back and forth with a grin on her face.

"Kay, get out of there! Now!" Byrne Faraday ordered his daughter so as to help her avoid the fate of falling victim to Manfred's madness.

"But, Daddy! I'm next to see Santa! And I'm gonna ask him for a pony, and a grappling hook, and a volcano, and- AAAAAHHH!" Kay screamed as Manfred grabbed her by the back of the collar of her pink turtleneck sweater with a single arm and threw her off to the side, causing her to soar through the air before landing on the buffet table with a thud, causing it to split in half right down the middle as foodstuffs of all sorts- chips, hot wings, several plates of wedge salad- were flung about the area.

"I'm here, Santa!" Manfred jovially proclaimed before leaping in the air towards Blaise.

For the brief second that Manfred was airborne, Blaise felt that time was moving in slow motion as the events of his life were flashing before his eyes- all the illicit deeds and acts he had ever committed, all the people he had made disappear, and all of the insults he had ever yelled at Sebastian. But suddenly, Blaise was snapped back to reality as the veteran prosecutor landed right in his lap with the sound of bones being broken, prompting the corrupt chief prosecutor to let out the most bloodcurdling scream of pain anyone in that room had ever heard as legitimate tears- not the crocodile ones he would let flow at the drop of a hat- filled his goggles.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH! F&*#! F&*#! F*#%&$# goddammit, Manfred! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Blaise angrily wailed in pain.

"Did I hurt you, Santa?" Manfred asked with a tone of concern.

"You probably fractured my goddamn pelvis! What do you F*#%&$# think?!"

"Uh, Santy Nick…?" Gant whispered to the wounded chief prosecutor, earning him a death glare.

"What?" Blaise venomously hissed through clenched teeth.

"Don't forget about your main demographic…" Gant warned as he pointed to the children watching the scene unfold with saucer-sized eyes and dropped jaws.

"Y'know, Gant, maybe I wouldn't be so upset if von Karma's car keys weren't stabbed into my sack like F*#%&$# Excalibur in the stone! What if I wanted to try to have kids that I'm actually proud of and don't have to lock in a coat closet when I leave the house?!"

"Well, Santa, while you may be in pain…" Manfred nonchalantly stated.

"What was your first clue, my bones cracking or how I've been yelling about it?" Blaise snarled.

"Nevertheless, I feel that we should make productive use of our time together and confirm that we are on the same page in regards to my Christmas list. Now, this year, I would like a new cravat, a shoe horn, a new set of golf clubs…"

 _The complete and utter destruction of everything and everyone you hold near and dear._ Blaise venomously thought as Manfred kept naming items.

"So this is the man who felt that 'compassion was weakness and goodwill but a foolish illusion'?" Mia smirked.

"Papa may have loved Santa like no other, but you saw what he did to those foolish children who were in his way. How is _that_ an example of goodwill?"

"I _LOVE_ you, Santa!" Manfred jovially proclaimed for all to hear before hugging Blaise and giving him a kiss on the cheek, causing the corrupt chief prosecutor to once again scream in agony, though this time more out of disgust than pain.

"You were saying?" Mia sneered.

"Shut up." Franziska bluntly responded with clenched fists and a scowl before Mia warped them out of the area in a bright flash of light and back to the silver-haired prosecutor's bedroom.

"So, what did you learn from this, Ms. von Karma?" Mia asked with a warm smile and crossed arms in the same manner she would with Phoenix back in his rookie days.

"That you are a foolish fool who can't fly to save her foolish life." Franziska wryly responded with a finger waggle.

"Fair enough. But I was thinking more along the lines of if your parents, including your otherwise cold, sociopathic dad, could embrace the holiday season, then so can you."

"Foolish ghost!" Franziska snapped as she tried, and failed, once again to whip the busty spirit. "Maybe I would be able to enjoy this foolish holiday more if my Papa was still alive, but he isn't. And do you know why…? His foolish love of Santa and Christmas clouded his judgement to the point where he allowed for evidence detrimental to his case to be anywhere near the courtroom. And once that foolish evidence was presented, it was a downward spiral towards him getting his first loss, then getting arrested for murdering Miles Edgeworth's foolish father, and… and… and then…" The silver hair woman whimpered as tears started to cloud her vision. "Papa killed himself in his prison cell, foolishly bashing his head against the concrete wall until he stopped breathing! And do know what the last letter he sent out was? One last plea for Santa to save him! This foolish holiday took my papa away from me!"

"I'm sorry for your loss." Mia morosely said as she gently put a hand on Franziska's shoulder. "I know it must be hard, but just remember-"

But before Mia could finish her statement, she suddenly disappeared, leaving Franziska all alone.

"Foolish girl." Franziska growled as she climbed back into her bed and nestled herself underneath her covers.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mia found herself once again in Maya's body, sitting next to Phoenix on the couch in his apartment watching reruns of _The Steel Samurai_.

"What is it this time, Phoenix?" Mia groaned with an exasperated sigh.

"It's Maya's turn to clean the toilet." Phoenix stated matter-of-factly as he handed Mia a toilet brush and a bottle of cleaner. "Have fun."

"Rest in peace my ass…" Mia growled as she took the brush and cleaner from Phoenix before stomping off into the bathroom.

* * *

 **A/N:** Since this one reviewer is a guest, I'll respond to them here.

 **InjusticeforAll:** I'm glad that you're liking the story so far. I really appreciate that you took the time to read and comment on the first chapter.


	3. Living in the Foolish Present

However, Franziska's sleep was short-lived once more as the grandfather clock rang again about an hour later, prompting the silver-haired prosecutor to put her pillow over her head and growl in discontent as she fought to stay asleep. But while Franziska was able to ignore the 12 heavy gongs of the antique clock, the same couldn't be said for the thundering sound of an organ coming from outside the room, prompting her to get out of bed with a growl.

"What foolishly foolish tomfoolery is happening now?" Franziska huffed as she stormed over to her bedroom door, where a strange, bright light could be seen seeping from underneath. But while the disgruntled prosecutor was expecting something foolish, nothing could prepare her for what was waiting for her on the other side of that door.

For when Franziska stepped out of her room and walked into her kitchen, she was greeted to the sight of a translucent Damon Gant, wearing an orange robe and a thick wreath crown atop his head, playing a song that was stuffy and imposing, yet lighthearted at the same time, on a giant red and green organ- the very same song that he was infamous for always playing on the grand organ in his office.

Damon Gant?! What are you doing here? And how did you get that organ in here?" Franziska asked in a shocked tone, reeling back as the former police chief stopped playing so that he could turn around to face her, greeting her with his usual grin and the knowledge that his robe revealed more of his smooth, muscular upper body than she wished to ever see.

"Why Franny-Banany, that's no way to talk to the Ghost of Christmas Present." Gant jovially stated.

"Ghost of Christmas Present?" Franziska asked, her head cocked to the side in confusion. "But you're not dead."

"Well, yesterday's paper would beg to differ with you." Gant stated matter-of-factly as he fiddled with his hair.

"Oh…" Franziska awkwardly replied, not sure of how to respond to this news. Sure, the silver-haired prosecutor may have tried to give off an impression of seeing everyone who wasn't her father as an inconsequential fool, but Gant was different. Sure, he may have been a little irritating and a bit too happy-go-lucky at times, but he was a good investigator and a loyal friend to her father until the very end. So to learn that the orange-cladded detective no longer walked the earth came as quite the shock to the normally stoic prosecutor.

"Don't worry, Franny-Banany. It wasn't all that bad. I got to convince the guards to let me swim in a public pool until I passed out from exhaustion, so I got to die the way that I lived: swimming!" Gant jovially stated with a clap of his hands.

"It's not that, Damon Gant. It's just… I wasn't told that you were being executed, because otherwise I would have been there. I swear on Papa's urn."

"Believe me, you're not at fault. I wanted to keep it private- you know, so people would remember me as the man that I was. Plus, who would want to spend 15 hours sitting around a pool waiting for some old has-been to drown himself? Not me!" Gant said with a chuckle. "But I'm not here to shoot the breeze with you, I'm-"

"Let me guess: you're here to show me something about my present life in a foolish attempt to teach me a lesson." Franziska sighed.

"Well, aren't you like you're father- cutting straight to the point! Too bad you can only be a Ghost of Christmas Present in the year that you die, because if this was happening three years ago, you'd be getting your old man! And let me tell you, did he take the role seriously! In fact, Manny- Well, that's a story for another time, because we've gotta get going to our first stop if we wanna keep on schedule!"

With a booming clap of his hands, Gant engulfed Franziska in a bright light as they vanished from the room without a trace.

* * *

"The detention center's visitor's room? How could this foolish place be relevant to me in any way?" Franziska asked as she found herself and the orange-cladded ghost standing behind the metal folding chair on the visitor's side.

"Remember how you were lamenting to Fey-Bae earlier about how you can't enjoy Christmas after Manny… you know, passed on?"

"Yes, but that still doesn't explain anything."

Instead of replying to the silver-haired woman, Gant just stared at the only door in the room with his infamous stern look for a brief second before Sebastian Debeste sheepishly entered the area, making sure to slowly close the door behind him in order to ensure that it didn't make a noise.

Sure, Sebastian was an emotional boy, to say the least, but at this moment he looked utterly terrified. The young prosecutor's face appeared rather pale with a few beads of sweat trickling down his cheek, or maybe they were tears- Franziska could never tell with him- as he slowly walked over to the chair, phasing right through her, and took a seat.

After taking a few deep breaths, Sebastian nodded to the guard on the prisoner's side of the room, prompting him to leave, only to immediately return with Blaise Debeste in tow, who was guided to the seat on his side.

For a brief moment, the father and son duo just stared at each other without saying a word, neither one exactly sure of what to say to the other. But eventually, Sebastian gathered his courage and was the one to break the tense silence.

"H-Hey, Pops… Merry… Merry Christmas." Sebastian nervously stated, lightly rubbing his thumb against his baton to help calm himself down.

"Y'know, Sebastian, if you wanted me to have a merry Christmas, then you shouldn't have come here. Y'see, I may have done some pretty bad things, but compared to a lump of coal, your ugly face qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment." Blaise cried as he pulled on his fake beard.

"Pops, I came down here out of the kindness of my heart because it's Christmas and you're my pops. It wouldn't kill you to treat me with dignity for 10 minutes!" Sebastian fumed as he pointed his baton at his father.

"Yes it would, Sebastian. Y'see, whenever I'm around you, a bunch of insults about how stupid, worthless, and ugly you are just start building up in me, like a pressure in a geyser, and if I don't let them out, then my head will just pop right off." Blaise nonchalantly stated as he played with his lighter, which he was able to keep with him thanks to his connections.

"Are you serious, Pops?" Sebastian asked with a mixed look of confusion and worry.

"What do you think? Actually, scratch that. What am _I_ thinking? That's like asking a person with no arms to hand you something. But then again, there would be alternatives- the armless person would try to use their feet while you would try to use your mouth without a brain." Blaise sneered as tears started to fill Sebastian's eyes.

But not wanting to give his sadistic father the satisfaction of victory, the young prosecutor held back his tears and instead flashed a smug grin.

"You know, that must really make my victory over you back in April all the more painful."

"Well, you've lost against literacy, basic logic, and not pissing away your dignity at the drop of a hat for 17 years, so you were bound to win at least once in your pathetic life. But knowing you, that's the only victory you'll ever win without me holding your hand or reminding you to unbutton your fly when in the bathroom." Blaise snickered.

"You're wrong, Pops!" Sebastian proudly proclaimed. "I'm a wiener- er, winner, and a better prosecutor than you ever were!"

"Ha!" Blaise huffed. "Who do you think you're kidding, Sebastian? The only reason you're still a prosecutor is because Edgeworth and all the other bigwigs at the Prosecutor's Office feel sorry for you, y'know?"

"That's not true!" Sebastian whined as he bent his baton. "I'm still a prosecutor because I'm hardworking, honest, and I have lots of friends- people who actually like me for me, unlike your so-called 'friends' who only hung out with you out of fear."

"Well, if you have so many 'friends', then why are you spending your Christmas talking with a guy who has always hated your guts instead of spending it with them?"

"I'll have you know, Pops, that I'll be watching some movies with them in about an hour. I just wanted to stop by because I felt sorry for you."

"Riiight, Sebastian, and I'm having dinner with Vlad the Impaler tonight at six." Blaise wryly responded with a roll of his eyes before pulling out and playing with his lighter. "Look, Weepicus Maximus, I've had the displeasure of knowing you for 17 years; and I know that just like with every birthday party you wanted to have, you tried to invite everyone who had the misfortune of entering your stupid gaze. But no matter what you tried, they all said no- and even when you started crying and bribing them with food and the like, they still refused to come. Am I right?"

"No, that's not true!" Sebastian whimpered as a few tears trickled from his eyes. "That's not true at all!"

"Of course it is! Because what idiot would want to spend even a single, solitary minute with a worthless, pathetic, spineless, whimpering, disappointing failed abortion like you?" Blaise smirked, reveling in the fact that he had once again succeeded in destroying his son's self-confidence.

"I… I don't have to take this! I'm gonna hang-up with people who actually appreciate me!" Sebastian screeched, his face flushed red with anger and sadness, as he got up from his chair and started speedily walking toward the exit.

"Oh, Sebastian!" Blaise called out, sinisterly giggling under his breath. "I take back what I said earlier!"

"Re-Really…?" The young, whimpering prosecutor reluctantly asked as he turned to face his father.

"Yeah. Y'see, seeing you crying like the stupid baby you are has been the highpoint of my Christmas!" Blaise cackled as Sebastian rushed out of the room, wailing like a dying animal as his tears flowed down his cheeks like a raging river.

"L-Looks like my son has gone and disappeared…" Blaise cried as he tugged on his fake beard for a brief moment before emptying his goggles. "Hopefully it'll stay that way."

As Blaise was escorted out of the room, Franziska couldn't help but just stand as still as a statue, her jaw hanging open and her eyes the size of saucers as she tried to process what had just happened.

"What- What… What was that?" Franziska asked as she struggled to find her words.

"One of Sebby's visits." Gant stated with a stern look. "And from the look of it, it was a mild one."

"In what world is that mild? Blaise Debeste relentlessly bullied his son just for visiting him on Christmas."

"That's Blaisie for you. It doesn't matter who you are, if he thinks you're useless, he'll treat you like dirt… even if that person's his own flesh and blood."

"I knew that Sebastian Debeste was verbally abused by his father, but this…?"

"Gives you a whole new perspective, doesn't it?"

"Hardly, Damon Gant. Sebastian Debeste may be a fool, but he has more people looking out for him than he knows what to do with. By the time his foolish party's done, and after several foolishly clichéd pep talks from Miles Edgeworth and Justine Courtney about being yourself and never giving up and other foolishly foolish drivel, he'll forget all about what his father said to him." Franziska smirked with a waggle of her finger, but despite the confident words and expression on her face, the silver-haired prosecutor couldn't hide the slight look of concern in her eyes.

"Well, let's see if you're right, Franny-Banany." Gant grinned as he clapped his hands once more, warping him and Franziska out of the area in a bust of light.

* * *

The duo then found themselves in the living room of a nice-looking home. The shag carpet was beige in color, the perfect complement to the black leather recliner and sofa that were in front of a large television screen that was at least 88 inches in length. Behind the two seats was a bay window that allowed a decent amount of sunlight, which was well-suited to the ruby-red paint the coated every wall in the room. To the right of recliner was a gothic fireplace- grey in color and was supported by two bearded, grinning gargoyles with toothy grins- that was filled with ash, looking like it hadn't been cleaned in months. But the most noticeable aspect of the room was Sebastian, who was sitting on the couch watching _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ , sobbing as the song introducing the Island of Misfit Toys started playing.

"Damon Gant, what is this? Why is Sebastian Debeste foolishly crying on his couch all alone?" Franziska asked, noticing that Sebastian was sitting all by himself.

"Because you told him that you'd rather do anything but come here. For shame, Franny-Banany, for shame…" Gant said with a slow shake of his head.

"How is this my fault? That foolish fool told me that Miles Edgeworth, Kay Faraday, and a bunch of his other foolish friends would be at his foolish little gathering." Franziska objected as she pulled at her whip.

"I would have thought that you of all people would know what _lying_ is."

"I know what lying is, Damon Gant. I just didn't think that Sebastian Debeste would have a reason to do so about something so foolish."

"How is that foolish? He wanted you to stop by, so he made it seem like he was having a big gathering in order to impress you."

"Still, I don't think that Miles Edgeworth and the rest of the foolish brigade of foolishness would turn down Sebastian Debeste's invitation, so why aren't they here?"

"Because Sebby didn't _want_ them here. Oh, don't get me wrong, he loves them all like family, but the sad fact is that none of them know the kind of turmoil he's been dealing with for his entire life, especially these past eight months. Sure, he may come to work every day with a big smile and a can-do spirit, but on the inside, he's a sad little boy crying out for his father's love. That's why he wanted to invite you over for a little movie afternoon: Sebby had a good idea of how his visit with his father would go, so he wanted to spend some time with someone who also never could get their father's love… someone like you."

"Papa was nothing like- Wait, what is he doing?" Franziska worriedly asked as Sebastian got up from his seat and started slowly staggering towards the fireplace, singing in a sullen, defeated tone as he did so.

 _I'm on the Island of Foolish Boys,_

 _No one knows how I'm pained…_

 _I just want to have a good friend,_

 _One who can make me feel like I'm not disdained…_

Sebastian sighed as he grabbed a handgun hanging from the mantle.

 _But I'm just a fool,_

 _Who's seen a tool…_

The depressed prosecutor paused to disable the gun's safety.

"That fool couldn't possibly be thinking of-" Franziska was cut off as Sebastian continued his song.

 _The laughing stock,_

 _To boys and girls who're cruel…_

With a shaky hand, Sebastian aimed the pistol at his right temple.

"No, you fool! Don't do it!" Franziska yelled as she rushed over towards her distressed colleague as he continued to sing.

 _But Christmas Day is here,_

 _The most wonderful… *sniff* day of… *sniff* the yeeaaar…_

Sebastian whimpered, pulling the gun's trigger right as Franziska reached him, causing a loud bang to ring out as he fell to the ground left shoulder first.

"That foolish fool…" Franziska morosely responded as she kneeled down next to the weepy prosecutor's body, the carpet around him starting to turn crimson.

"Well, better him dying and reducing the surplus population than sullying the profession, right Franny-Banany?" Gant sternly commented as he sauntered over to the prodigy prosecutor.

"When I foolishly told Constance Courte that, I didn't mean that they should kill themselves. I didn't know-" Franziska tried to as she looked up at the orange-cladded ghost, whose eyes were narrowed into his infamous stare.

"That's right, you didn't know." Gant hissed as he pulled Franziska up by the arm. "So maybe from now on you'll keep those thoughts to yourself until you've discovered just who these 'foolish peasants' are and the tribulations they've faced. For it may well be that in the sight of our creator, you are less fit to hold the title of prosecutor than millions of others like this poor boy who is lying on the ground dead because you couldn't find it in your heart to be his friend for even a minute on this most joyous of days."

Franziska winced at the former police chief's harsh words before looking down at Sebastian's corpse, thoughts of guilt filling her mind about all the times she had insulted the poor boy, and whipped him, and that one morning the previous week when she keyed the foolish tricycle that he would ride to work just because one of the wheels was parked slightly over the line and in her spot. But before she could think any further about the current situation, Gant startled her with a clap of his hands.

"Well, let's get a move onto our next stop, shall we?" Gant jovially asked with a grin, his mood undergoing a 180-degree shift.

"How can you be so foolishly upbeat after seeing someone commit suicide right before your eyes?" Franziska growled as she pulled at her whip.

"Look, I'm not the Ghost of Christmas Present because I focus on what's already happened- that's Fey-Bae's job. My duty's to exist in the moment; and right now, we need to get to our next stop. So let's go, sunshine!"

With a booming clap of his hands, Gant and Franziska vanished in a burst of bright light.

* * *

The next thing Franziska knew, she and Gant were in a grungy, single-room apartment that reeked of depression, mold, and raw sewage. The place looked barely big enough to be a janitor's closet, let alone a home, yet someone was apparently living there based on the presence of a tattered cot, a small, plastic outdoor table that was taped together in several areas with two matching chairs, a green porta potty, and a burning oil drum with a piece of cardboard sticking out of it.

"Welcome to the home of our next person of interest, Franny-Banany. If the smell starts to get to you, then just start breathing through your mouth."

"This is a home?!" Franziska gasped, recoiled back at the realization. "What kind of foolishly disgusting degenerate fool can live in a place like this?! I think I'm getting a disease just by _being_ here!"

At that moment, as if to answer the disgusted prosecutor's question, Gumshoe and Maggey, who were each carrying several large pieces of cardboard, entered the apartment.

"Thanks for helping me gather cardboard, Maggey. You don't know how much trouble you saved me!" Gumshoe jovially replied as he threw a few pieces from his stack into the oil drum, causing the flame to grow slightly.

"It was nothing, sir!" Maggey chirped as she put her stack down next to the drum. "But don't you ever get worried about your safety in this neighborhood, what with the giant rats running through the streets…? Or that giant puddle of glowing green ooze right outside of your building…? Or that obese woman wearing a trash bag for a dress yelling about how the pigeons took her babies?"

"Ms. Onzo? She's a staple of the community! But she should be the least of your worries, because right now we're gonna have a lovely dinner. Just wait right there while I get the food." Gumshoe stated before going over to his sink and rustling around the cabinet underneath as Maggey took a seat at his sad table.

"This dump is Scruffy's apartment?" Franziska asked with a tone of disbelief.

"Does it really surprise you that Gummy's got to live like this, what with how much you and Worthy cut his pay?" Gant remarked.

"I knew that Scruffy didn't have the best of living conditions, but this is ridiculous! I mean, I would joke about him burning cardboard for warmth, but I didn't think that it was true."

"Hope you're hungry, Maggey, because dinner is served." Gumshoe proudly announced as he walked over to his date with some Styrofoam cups and a cooler that actually looked new, a stark contrast to everything else in the apartment.

"You're storing your instant noodles in a cooler now?" Maggey asked with a perplexed look. "That's… different."

"Don't be silly, Maggey! Why would I be serving instant noodles when I have…" Gumshoe paused as he pulled out two packs of baloney and placed them on the table. "Baloney! And as you can see on the packages, they aren't expired. No weenies that I had to steal from a grocery store dumpster tonight! And that's not all…!" The underpaid detective boasted as he took out a jug of water and held it up like one would a prestigious award. "Fresh water and, wait for it…" Gumshoe placed the water next to the baloney and proceeded to take out a jug of milk. "Milk that hasn't gone sour and is still a liquid! And if that's not enough for you, I can also bring out the partially-crushed saltines and heat up some instant noodles!"

"Dick!" Maggey gasped as she looked upon the bountiful feast- well, bountiful for Gumshoe's standards- with an expression of awe. "How could you afford all this?"

"I used the Christmas bonus that Mr. Edgeworth gave me. Why, do you hate it?" Gumshoe worriedly asked, his shoulders slumped and eyes filled with shame.

"Not at all, Dick! I love it! But don't you think that it would have been better to spend that money on…" Maggey paused for a moment to think of a nice way to voice her next point. "This?" The misfortune-prone woman gestured to the rundown apartment as a whole.

"I know I could have used my bonus to make the place a bit nicer to live in, but Christmas only comes around once a year and I wanted to make it special for you."

"Aww, Dick, you're so sweet! But the only thing I need to make today special is you, not milk and unexpired meat." Maggey cooed in a sickeningly sweet tone as she hugged Gumshoe. "But since you've gone through all the effort to get this food, it would be a shame for us not to enjoy it."

"I hear that!" Gumshoe said with a grin. "But before we eat, I feel it's only right that I show my appreciation for the meal that we have been blessed with."

The scruffy detective proceeded to get up from his chair and walk over to a small end table near his cot, where he kneeled before a framed picture of Edgeworth that was surrounded by a few lit candles and some dandelions with his head lowered and hands clasped together.

"Praise to you, Mr. Edgeworth- the kind, benevolent prosecutor who lives on the west side of town in a nice first-floor apartment with tap water as clean and pure as your pursuit for the truth!" Gumshoe proclaimed, his voice filled with a tremendous zeal that would put even the most religiously devoted individuals to shame. "I would like to once again thank you for your generous Christmas bonus, which has been used to not only buy this wonderful feast that Maggey and I are about to enjoy, but also for turning the electricity back on, making my lights shine as brightly as the hope you bring to the people of this city, and for allowing my microwave to make my instant noodles as hot and steamy as your zeal and passion for your work. I would also like to thank Ms. von Karma as well, for without both of you, I would have no job, no home, no instant noodles, and/or hope. So I just want to thank both of you guys for blessing me with all that I have, even though it isn't much, and I wish both you and Ms. von Karma a lifetime of happiness and health. May both of your careers and cravats keep from getting flat and stay wonderful. Amen." Gumshoe stated as he got back up on his feet and returned to the table.

"That was very nice, Dick." Maggey warmly commented. "But why are you praising Ms. von Karma? Because from what you've told me, all she ever does is verbally abuse you, whip you, and use you to her advantage. Heck, she even wanted you to work today for no pay, even though you never take any days off! To me, that's just plain mean!" The ex-police officer ranted with a scowl and crossed arms.

"Look Maggey, I'm not the biggest fan of Ms. von Karma myself, but that's not the point of today. Today's about putting aside all of your grudges and appreciating everything you have. I know that Ms. von Karma may be cold, mean, bossy, and outright aggressive on the outside, but deep-down inside, there's a small shred of kindness just waiting to come out. So for today, let's see her for that little bit of kindness and think only good thoughts about her." Gumshoe stated, putting his arm around his date's shoulder in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Ok, I'll wish Ms. von Karma a merry Christmas… but only to make you feel better!"

"After all I've done to him… the whippings, the pay cuts, making him listen to that foolish clown's horrible jokes… He… he doesn't hold it against me…?" Franziska sullenly asked under her breath, her head hung in shame upon witnessing the detective that she thought was so foolish rising above his plight with little effort and a grin on his face.

"That's our Gummy!" Gant bellowed with a chuckle. "Now let's get a move on to our next location and fast. I don't like how that porta potty's moving and I don't wanna stick around to see what happens next." The orange-cladded detective nervously commented as he pointed to the porta potty, which had just started to violently shake as growls and snarls could be heard coming from inside.

So just like the previous times, Gant made himself and Franziska vanish without a trace with a mighty clap, enveloping the two of them in a bright light.

* * *

Franziska soon found herself and Gant to be standing in the Gatewater Imperial Hotel's lavish Viola Hall which was filled with nearly everyone from the Prosecutor's Office, as well as many detectives from the precinct, laughing and sharing humorous tales about their unusual cases and the equally bizarre people associated with them. The room's decor screamed Christmas- red and green silk table clothes, large Santa and snowmen statues scattered throughout the area, and enough garland, wreaths, and potted pine trees to put an arboretum to shame.

"Know where we are, Franny-Banany?"

"What kind of foolish question is that, Damon Gant? Obviously, this is Miles Edgeworth's foolishly foolish party. It just _reeks_ of his foolishness!" Franziska growled in contempt. "I swear, that foolishly foolish little brother of mine throws one party and he thinks he's Mr. Socialite!"

"Well, I don't know about that, but Worthy sure does look like he's having a jolly good time." Gant stated, pointing to a nearby table where Edgeworth, Phoenix, Maya, Pearl, Larry, Trucy, and Kristoph were laughing and playing 20 Questions.

"Alright, my turn. Who wants to ask the first question?" Edgeworth asked with his normal confident grin.

"Is it a thing?" Phoenix asked as he tapped his chin.

"No, Wright." Edgeworth responded.

"Is it an animal?" Pearl nervously asked as she but her thumb.

"The most dangerous species." Edgeworth smirked with outstretched arms.

"So is it a _magical_ animal, like a unicorn or griffon?" Trucy excitedly asked, tipping her top hat forward and grinning at the maroon-cladded prosecutor.

"I believe that Mr. Edgeworth was actually referring to a human being, Trucy." Kristoph stated matter-of-factly

"Yes, Mr. Gavin." Edgeworth nodded. "But Trucy is partially right if you consider the ability to make someone's dignity disappear in the blink of an eye to be magic."

"Are they a girl?" Maya asked.

"Yes, Maya. Though she often doesn't act very ladylike." Edgeworth chuckled.

"Is she a nice person?" Kristoph coolly asked.

"She's more or less neutral towards you when she's in a good mood, but violent when she's angry." Edgeworth stated.

"Hmm… A girl who can make your dignity instantly disappear, isn't very ladylike, and is violent when angry…" Larry said to himself, cocking his head to the side for a brief second as he thought of his answer. "Is she my ex-girlfriend, Bennifer?!" The anti-Casanova yelled, his teeth becoming jagged as he slammed on the table with his fists.

"No, Larry." Edgeworth said with crossed arms as he tapped his bicep.

"Is she my ex-girlfriend, Naomi?" Larry yelled as he slammed his fists on the table again.

"Once again, Larry, the answer is no." Edgeworth said with an exasperated sigh.

"Is she my ex-girlfriend, Donna?" Larry yelled for a third time as he once again slammed the table with his fists.

"No, this woman is not one of your ex-girlfriends!" Edgeworth snapped, glaring daggers at his childhood friend. "This woman has never dated you and most likely never will. So will you please stop yelling out the names of all the women who have ever dumped you and slamming the table like some barbarian?"

"They didn't dump me, I dumped them." Larry grumbled under his breath, his arms crossed his arms and body hunched forward.

"Has this woman ever assaulted anyone?" Phoenix asked.

"You should know her brand of violence better than any of us, Wright..." Edgeworth smirked.

"I know who it is! I know who it is!" Pearl squealed as she frantically waved her right in the air. "Is it Ms. Scary Prosecutor Lady?"

"Scary… Prosecutor Lady?" Edgeworth asked in confusion.

"That's the nickname Pearly gave Franziska." Maya chimed in.

"If that's the case, then you're correct, Pearl. The answer was indeed my dear adoptive sister, Franziska." Edgeworth smirked.

"Ha, ha, _very_ funny, Miles Edgeworth." Franziska wryly responded with a roll of her eyes. "Let's see how much you laugh after _THIS_!" The silver-haired woman tried to whip her adopted brother, only for her whip to phase right through him.

"Franny-Banany, you don't exist here." Gant stated matter-of-factly.

"Force of habit!" Franziska yelled as she stomped her foot in rage.

"Ms. Franny-ziska was very mean to Trucy yesterday! I hate her!" Peal yelled as she held up her clenched fist.

"Wright, Maya, what happened yesterday?" Edgeworth sternly asked. "Did Franziska whip Trucy?"

"Yes, Miles Edgeworth, because I take so much pleasure in whipping foolish children. Sure, I may not be the warmest person, but I'm not a monster!" Franziska growled as she pulled at her whip.

"Trust me, Edgeworth, if Franziska even so much as touched a single hair on my daughter's head, I would have done several things that you'd be prosecuting me for." Phoenix stated, giving the Demon Prosecutor an icy stare that sent a shiver down his spine.

"Ok…" Edgeworth said, making sure to scoot his chair a little bit away from his former courtroom rival. "So what _did_ Franziska do?"

"Well, we were out caroling yesterday, just minding our own business and spreading joy, when outta nowhere, Franziska just charged up to us and started threatening to have us arrested because we didn't have a permit!" Maya yelled, her face reddening and cheeks puffing up. "And then, when Trucy got understandably upset, Franziska told her that Santa doesn't exist! Can you believe that, Edgeworth!? Franziska tried to ruin Christmas for a sweet little girl who's been through so much just because she wanted to sing carols!"

"If it were any other person, I would think that you were overreacting. But since this is my adoptive sister you're talking about, the only thing that surprises me is the fact that Wright's not in a full body cast. Good thing Franziska so hostilely refused to come to this gathering, otherwise there would be less laughing and more whipping." Edgeworth smirked.

"I could just imagine it now…" Phoenix chuckled before twisting a green linen napkin into a makeshift whip. "Miles Edgeworth, what are you doing having fun? Cease this foolishly foolish behavior this instant!" The former attorney said in his best Franziska voice while pretending to whip the maroon-cladded prosecutor with the napkin. "I am Franziska von Karma, the prodigy prosecutor and destroyer of happiness and joy!"

"Foolish Phoenix Wright! That sounds nothing like me!" Franziska snarled, flashing Gant a death glare when she heard him laughing and clapping.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" The orange cladded detective remarked.

"I know Franziska may not be the most pleasant of people, but let's not be angry at her. In fact, I think that we should feel sorry for her. I mean, what are the consequences of her not coming to this party? She misses a good dinner; and while we're having fun, she's sulking by herself." Edgeworth sneered, much to Franziska's chagrin. "Now, I know that she probably doesn't want it, but I'm going to wish her good health." The maroon-cladded prosecutor raised his glass of Champaign. "To Franziska: may you have a good year and provide us with a cornucopia of humor from your negative attitude!"

Upon Edgeworth finishing his toast, in which Franziska glowered at him as she squeezed her whip with every ounce of her strength, as if it would strangle her foolish 'little' brother, Gant warped himself and the furious prosecutor away from the area in a burst of bright light with yet another thunderous clap.

* * *

The next location was quite different from the previous ones. For unlike the other places Gant had taken Franziska to, which had at least some sort of human activity, this place was completely deserted. However, it wasn't that surprising since the current locale was that of an outdoor public pool in the dead of night, the only source of light being the full moon as it reflected off of the gently swaying water.

"Why did you bring me to some foolish public pool, Damon Gant? How is this place supposed to help me?" Franziska sighed.

"Oh, this isn't for you, Franny-Banany, it's for me." Gant said as he fiddled with his hair. "You see, my time in this world is so short, ending with the midnight hour- which draws closer with each passing second- and I wanna be in a familiar place when my time's up. But before that happens, there is one last thing that you need to see…"

As Gant finished his sentence, Franziska could see the former police chief's robe rustling as a foot third foot emerged from underneath.

"Damon Gant, why is there a third foot under your robe? Who else is there?" The silver-haired woman asked as she pointed to the protruding limb.

"Look here." Gant bellowed as he opened his robe, revealing that the only other piece of clothing that he was wearing was a tight orange speedo, and that Regina Berry and a 12-year-old Wocky Kitaki were standing to his sides, one on the left and the other on the right- a sight so horrifying that Franziska turned her back to the scantily-cladded spirit and shielded her eyes. "Look here!" The former police chief repeated in a slightly angrier tone.

"I don't want to, Damon Gant. Your speedo is tight and I saw certain parts... bulging!" Franziska shuddered, trying her best to wipe her mind clean of the disturbing image that she had just witnessed.

"DOWN HERE!" The speedo-wearing spirit roared in rage.

"Alright, I'll… I'll do it." Franziska said in a tone of resignation, slowly turned around and focusing her gaze upon the two adolescents. "Damon Gant, why did you kidnap Regina Berry?"

"Hi, Ms. von Karma!" Regina chirped as she hopped up and down.

"I didn't kidnap them, Franny-Banany." Gant said with a shake of his head. "I borrowed them to prove a point. This girl is ignorance…"

"This old guy said that if we stood in his robe, he'll give us a big treat!" Regina squealed in excitement.

"And this boy is want. Beware them both, but most of all, beware the girl." Gant sternly warned.

What the hell kinda dope drug you be smokin', gramps?! 'Cause I'm more dangerous than some sissy-ass ho! I'm Wocky Kitaki, and I'm gangsta!" Wocky snarled, leaning forward with his hands on his hips as a show of dominance. "You tryin' to step to a Kitaki? You tryin' to start a war, gramps? 'Cause if you are, you ain't gonna be winning 'cause I'm straight up OG gan-"

Tiring of the little wannabe gangster, Gant closed his robe, making both him and Regina disappear.

"Look, Franny-Banany, as much as I enjoyed our time together, it unfortunately must come to an end. So if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna spend my last few moments here doing what I enjoy most: swimming!" The former police chief excitedly proclaimed as he tore off his robe, much to Franziska's displeasure, and cannonballed into the pool with an impressive splash.

As Gant started to swim laps around the pool, the sound of the single booming, ominous ring of a clock's bell could be heard in the distance, at which point, the pool's water was slowly replaced with a green, bubbling acid which began to eat away at Gant's flesh. But unlike most people who would flail about and scream at the top of their lungs for help, the orange-cladded spirit merely laughed while clapping his hands as his body was reduced to a skeletal form. And once Gant's bones were stripped clean of flesh, any semblance of life drained from what used to be his body, his skeleton floated out of the acid pool and became engulfed in a dark vortex as Franziska watched with a look of shock, using every bit of strength she had to keep herself from being blown away.

But as quickly as it started, the violent winds ceased as the vortex slowly dissipated, revealing not Gant's skeleton in its dark center, but rather a being resembling the Grim Reaper- wearing a long, black robe that only revealed their soft, feminine hands, in which one was holding a long scythe, and two piercing, glowing white eyes- who proceeded to slowly float towards the prosecutor.

"A-Are you the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come?" Franziska nervously asked, a cold, foreboding feeling beginning to overwhelm her as the being just stared at her, not saying a word. "Well… are you?" The silver-haired prosecutor asked again, only to receive silence in return once more. "Look, foolish spirit, I don't have all night, so if you're going to show me something, show-"

Franziska was suddenly cut off as the being hit her atop her head with the flat side of its scythe, causing her to fall to the ground, her vision slowly consumed by darkness as she drifted into unconsciousness.


	4. What the Foolish Future Holds

When Franziska finally regained consciousness, she found herself lying on a grungy hospital bed, cut off from the rest of the world by a thin, opaque grey curtain.

"Ugh, where am I…?" Franziska groaned as she rubbed her aching head. "I remember being at the public pool when that foolish spirit… That foolishly foolish spirit foolishly assaulted me!" The silver-haired prosecutor snarled. "Spirit, where are you?"

As if on cue, the cloaked specter appeared before Franziska, standing next to the bed while still being contained within the curtain.

"I demand that you apologize for assaulting me earlier!" The irate prosecutor ordered, slamming her fist against the eggshell-colored mattress out of anger. Of course, much to Franziska's frustration, the spirit remained speechless as it just stared at her. "Well, if you aren't going to apologize, then at least explain why you've brought me here."

The spirit reared back in preparation to swing its mighty scythe once more, understandably causing Franziska to flinch; but instead of striking her, the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come merely cut through the curtain surrounding them with one clean slice, causing it to fall to the ground to reveal the rest of the dismal room.

The walls and floor were a uniform shade of dull grey, making one feel like one were in a cube of the kind of gruel served in prison camps, with the only variety in color being found on the ceiling, which had several large brown spots caused by years of water damage and neglect. The floor was no better than the ceiling- rugged, cracked grey tiles with a brown film of dirt and dust, appearing as if it was never once cleaned. In a nutshell, this was the kind of sad hospital room one would see in movies where impoverished people came in, but never came out.

"Yes, this is a very sad, dirty hospital room; but I don't see how-"

Franziska was interrupted as the spirit pointed to the bed next to hers, where Maggey was lying completely motionless with closed eyes and no color in her face. At first glance, the woman looked like a corpse, but upon further inspection, one could tell that she was alive; for what hospital, even one as unsightly as this, would have a dead body hooked up to several large, complex machines? It wasn't as if one could easily miss them, what with their large size, in addition to the many iv needles jabbed in Maggey's right arm, as well as two sizeable tubes implanted in her body- one shoved deep in her throat and the other sticking out of her stomach- like something out of a _Matrix_ film.

Franziska was at a loss for words as she stared at Maggey, seeing her fine and able-bodied just minutes prior when she was with Gant, only to find that same woman appearing so broken. But what made the scene all the sadder was the sight of Gumshoe, who was wearing a brown trench coat and whose face looked so much more aged and rugged, softly grasping Maggey's limp hand as he struggled to hold back the tears forming in his eyes.

"Hey, Maggey…" Gumshoe whispered. "I… I came a bit early today. I know I said that I was going to be late because of work, but I couldn't stand the thought of leaving you all alone, so I left early. I know I'll probably get my ass chewed out for this and get another pay cut, but you know, screw it!" The detective huffed, slightly squeezing the hospitalized woman's hand. "I've worked myself to the bone every day since I first became a detective, yet my pay gets cut anyways. So if my pay gets cut for this, I'll at least be able to say it was worth it because I was spending time with the most wonderful woman in the world… my wife…"

Gumshoe sniffled, trying his best to hold back the tears, determined to stay strong for the woman he loved. Franziska could tell from just a single glance at the scruffy detective's face that he was experiencing a violent whirlpool of emotions and too much agony for a single man to handle.

"You know, for so long, I thought that all those pay cuts were my fault- that if I only would work a bit harder, or if I could just say the right thing, then things would get better- but ever since that accident two years back, I've been thinking… and thinking… and thinking some more…" Gumshoe repeatedly murmured like a broken record, taking in the angelic face of his catatonic beloved. "And then it finally hit me today when I was leaving to see you: I'm not poor because I'm some horrible, incompetent person; I've just had the misfortune of having bosses with standards as high as their sense of compassion and mercy is low. Granted, I'm not talking about Mr. Edgeworth- he's a saint and a king among men! Sure, he'd cut my pay, but at least he'd give me bonuses, take me out for meals, and try to get me raises, but after he got promoted to chief prosecutor, I've been left alone with people like Ms. von Karma who treat cutting my pay like it's a national pastime!" Gumshoe growled as his grip on Maggey's hand tightened.

"After we got married on that happy June day five years ago, I thought we were gonna be happy, that with you by my side, my money issues wouldn't be so bad… but then came Ms. von Karma…" Gumshoe hissed, prompting Franziska to wince back in shock from how much hatred was in his voice as he said her name. "I accidentally missed one little crumpled up receipt hidden under a couch at a crime scene, and she wanted to cut my pay by 20 percent. I begged and pleaded to her to no end, telling her that I needed what little money I made to pay to fix the breaks on the car, but she wouldn't listen- she just whipped me over and over while yelling about how foolish I was! And look what happened- the brake snapped when you were driving down a hill and you ended up in a coma after crashing into a building!"

At that point, Gumshoe couldn't hold back his tears any longer and started crying, sobbing as the hand holding Maggey's started to tremble.

"But… But there's another reason why I came early…" Gumshoe whimpered right before two shady-looking men wearing black suits and sunglasses entered the room.

In terms of appearance, the first man looked like a bigger, more muscular Gumshoe- standing a good head taller than the detective with a smooth, hairless scalp resembling a cue ball which, in conjunction with his stern, stoic face, made him a force to be reckoned with.

The man following him, on the other hand, was more cheesy than scary, resembling the kind of silly mobsters shown in children's cartoons- a little shorter than Gumshoe with the torso of a child, long, lanky legs that looked like stilts, and a head with a huge cleft chin and a scalp of thick, slicked back tar-black hair.

"Well, well, if it ain't our good friend, Dick Gumshoe…" The lanky man sneered with a big, toothy grin as he sauntered over to the now-cowering detective.

"K-Karl…" Gumshoe stammered. "Y-You're early."

"Sorry 'bout that. When da Boss tells me ta go, I go. What can I do?" Karl said with a joking shrug. "Don Cadaverini thought you'd try ta pull a slick on us, an' whaddya know…"

"Look, pal. I just wanted to visit my wife. I would never think of double-crossing you guys after you agreed to pay her hospital bills."

"We know ya wouldn't, porky…" Karl smugly replied as he lightly patted the detective's cheek. "Intentionally, dat is…"

"Wha-What do mean?" Gumshoe nervously asked.

"A wise guy, eh…? You know what we do ta wise guys 'round these parts?" Karl growled.

"Hey pal, you've got the wrong idea!" Gumshoe said with his hands held up. "If I was wise, do you think I'd be asking for these kinds of favors?"

"In dat case, let me spell it out for you." Karl hissed. "Don Cadaverini's been quite generous to you. You're a cop, yet he's been willin' to pay for your wife's hospital bills for da past two years, and they ain't been cheap. So, understandably, Don Cadaverini's only condition for helpin' you was dat you'd help him- nothin' much, just makin' sure dat youse coppa's ain't lockin' up any'a our boys. But apparently, da Boss' generosity means squat ta ya, 'cause today, he wakes up an' reads in da paper dat Arm-Snappin' Arnny an' Back-Breaking Benny were busted peddlin' Borginian cocoons yesterday! What youse gotta say ta dat, candy cat?!" The mobster snapped as he poked at the detective's chest.

"I-I'm sorry, pal…" Gumshoe said as he nervously scratched the back of his neck. "I tried my best to keep the police from following the lead on your guys, but then Mr. Edgeworth took an interest in the case; and you know how Mr. Edgeworth gets when he gets involved."

"That ain't cutting it, wow plow! How youse think dis makes da Boss feel!? You think he wants ta see dat kinda news when eatin' his mornin' Calabrese!?" Karl angrily asked with a visibly red face as he started chopping at the air with both of his hands, only stopping with the hulking bald man accompanying him, who had just merely been standing off to the side watching things unfold, put a hand that was more reminiscent of a baseball glove than an appendage on his shoulder.

"Focus, Karl." The man said in a deep, gravely tone that was in direct contrast to the nasally Brooklyn accent of his more excitable partner. "Remember why we're here."

"I was gettin' ta dat, Skull Crusher. But before we get to dat bit o'fun, restrain the big palooka so he don't try no funny business, see?"

With a nod, the taller mobster got behind Gumshoe and tightly wrapped his muscular, meaty arms around the detective, leaving him completely immobile.

"Hey, let go of me!" Gumshoe yelled as he tried to wriggle free, but to no avail.

"Don't worry, Detective, Skull Crusher'll let ya go… after we finish our business." Karl replied with a sinister grin.

"W-What are you going to do?" Gumshoe nervously asked.

"Simple. You cut out on your side of the deal, so it only makes sense for us ta do the same." Karl said as he slowly sauntered towards Maggey's bed.

"Get away from Maggey, you bastard!" Gumshoe roared, mustering all of his strength to break free from Skull Crusher's grip before charging at Karl like a mad bull.

However, the lanky mobster was completely unfazed by this outburst, snickering to himself as he waited for Gumshoe to get close to him before hitting him in the crotch with a swift, powerful kick from one of his long legs, causing the detective to fall to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"You thought you could get da drop on me? I'm Kickin' Karl, the ball-bustin' Mafioso of the Cadaverini Family! So if youse don't wanna repeat of dat, youse gonna stay down, see?" The lanky mobster sneered with his hands on his hips, lording over Gumshoe as he lay helpless on the grungy floor. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"No… Please…. No…" Gumshoe weakly pleaded, trying his best to retain consciousness as Karl walked over to Maggey's bedside and violently ripped out her breathing tube, causing her heart rate monitor emit a high-pitched tone as it flat lined.

"Easy as dat." Karl smirked, rubbing his hands against one another as if dusting them off. "C'mon, Skull Crusher. Let's blow dis Popsicle stand."

"Right." The hulking man said as he followed his partner out of the room, leaving Gumshoe behind on the ground to wallow in his misery.

"Maggey…" Gumshoe weakly sniffled, a few tears falling from his face and soaking the dirty floor. "I… I'm sorry…" The detective weakly stated before succumbing to his injuries and passing out.

Franziska didn't know what to say. She had just witnessed a comatose woman get killed before her very eyes. It was one thing when she saw Sebastian kill himself- he lived a sad life and in some twisted sense, him ending it could be seen as a form of escape- but this… This was something that had absolutely no bright side whatsoever. Maggey, unlike Sebastian, had no say in the matter. She didn't wake up one morning and decide that she would get into a car crash; that was decided for her by Franziska herself because Gumshoe made a mistake. And now, Gumshoe had not only lost his wife, but virtually all joy in his heart. For this was the same man who Franziska had heard wishing her a happy life, only now to find that he felt nothing but contempt for her. But to make matters worse, the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come just stood there in silence, staring at her with those piercing, glowing eyes of it, leaving the silver-haired prosecutor to stew in the messy broth of pain and agony she had created.

So, unable to handle the situation, Franziska sprang up from the bed and ran out of the room through the door that Karl and Skull Crusher had left open, not turning back as she ran towards the hospital's exit as fast as her legs could carry her.

* * *

However, despite her best efforts, as Franziska rushed down the busy L.A. sidewalk outside the hospital, she was stopped in her tracks as the robed spirit slowly phased up through the ground in front of her, grabbing her shoulder with a tight grip when she tried to run around it. But before the prodigy prosecutor could even begin arguing with the ghost, it directed her attention to a nearby café with a point of its finger, where Kay Faraday and Shi-Long Lang were sitting at an outdoor table.

"Thanks for inviting me out to lunch, Crow-Girl. Nothing beats having a meal with a good friend when traveling abroad." Lang said with his normal toothy grin before biting into his ham sandwich.

"Yeah, don't mention it…" Kay sighed, looking down at her plate as she poked at her chicken sandwich.

"Something bothering you?"

"It's just… It's just that this time of year is kind of hard for me and Mr. Edgeworth, what with Sebastian…" Kay shook her head, as if to remove the bad thoughts associated with that event from her mind.

"I know what you mean. I may have not had much interaction with the kid like you and Mr. Prosecutor had, but I felt bad for him. I mean, he may have not been the brightest bulb in the box, but in terms of morals and goodness, he shined like the sun. In this day and age, people like him are a rarity, especially when they were raised by assholes like Blaise Debeste…" Lang venomously hissed, trying his best to keep from going on a rant about the House of Lang's fall from grace because of that bearded bastard.

"Yeah, Sebastian was the best- no pun intended- friend you could ask for. He was just always so upbeat and willing to help anyone who needed it as best as he could… it's just too bad we couldn't have done the same for him…" Kay sighed with slumped shoulders.

"Don't talk like that, little lady." Lang said as he pat the Yatagarasu's shoulder. "You and Mr. Prosecutor did everything you could to help raise that kid out of the deep pit his father threw him in and you should be proud of that. But the sad fact of life is that you can do everything in your power to help someone, but sometimes there are deeper things beyond your control. As Lang Zi once said, 'If the pack tries to save a cub hanging from a ledge, only for it to fall, they should not blame themselves, but the cliff for being too steep.'"

"Try telling Mr. Edgeworth that. Ever since he learned about what happened to Sebastian, he hasn't been able to let it go. He keeps telling me how Sebastian's dead because of him; that if he had only been more attentive, or if he had called him on that Christmas 9 years ago instead of setting up for his party, he'd still be with us."

"Heh…" Lang snickered under his breath with the smallest of sneers.

"What is it, Agent Lang?"

"Nothing, nothing… It's just that Edgeworth may be the exact opposite of his old mentor in terms of ethics and courtroom strategies, but deep down, they're the same- feeling that everything is their responsibility and that if something goes wrong, it's entirely their fault. I guess you can take Edgeworth away from the von Karma, but you can't the von Karma away from Edgeworth."

"Don't go down that road… please." Kay groaned as she put her palm on her forehead. "You know how sore Mr. Edgeworth gets about that topic since the EM-7 incident."

"Sorry about that, I almost forgot. I've just been trying so hard to block it out… You think you know a person, only for them to do something like that..." Lang coldly said as he stared at no particular point in the distance, dealing with the bitter thoughts going through his mind.

"Spirit, what are they talking about? What is the EM-7 incident?" Franziska asked the cloaked specter, only for it to poke her with the end of its scythe before pointing at the table.

"I know! I knew she wasn't one to avoid violence, but I never thought that she would actually shoot someone, let alone someone unconscious in an elevator and pin the blame on his daughter!" Kay growled as she slammed her fist on the table. "It makes me so mad just thinking about it!"

"As Lang Zi said, 'The most grievous wound a wolf can receive is not from the warrior's bow or the huntsman's trap, but a bite from a member of its own pack…'" Lang sighed with clasped hands, pausing so that he could fully take in the words of the ancient proverb. "After EM-7, I can truly appreciate the great wisdom of this saying. But on the other hand, I shouldn't be surprised- she always talked about how she always wanted to be like her father- about how great he was- so why wouldn't she follow in his footsteps in how to get rid of someone she hated? But at least she got what was coming to her. Speaking of which, when's her execution date? Because I'm not missing it for the world."

"Oh, there's no execution date." Kay said matter-of-factly.

"Why not? Did she use her connections to get herself an acquittal?" Lang snarled.

"If by acquittal, you mean dying in a prison fight, then yes."

"Well, at least she died how she lived." Lang sneered.

"I guess… But I just thought-" At that moment, Kay was interrupted by her watch beeping, prompting her to look at the time. "Sorry to eat and run, Agent Lang, but I have to meet up with Mr. Edgeworth and the others to see Mr. Wright. This should cover my half of the check." The young thief said as she took out a few loose bills from her bag.

"No need, my treat."

"You sure?" Kay asked with a look of confusion as she hesitantly returned the money to her bag.

"Yeah, consider it a gift from me to you. Merry Christmas."

"And a merry Christmas to you, too, Agent Lang! Bye!" Kay chirped, energetically waving to the Interpol agent as she got up from her seat and ran down the sidewalk past Franziska and the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come.

As soon as the young thief was out of eyeshot, the cloaked spirit poked Franziska with the end of its scythe before pointing in the direction Kay went off in.

"You want me to follow her?" Franziska asked, to which the ghost responded with a nod. "Why, so I can listen to Phoenix Wright and those other foolishly foolish fools foolishly making fun of me again?"

The spirit, not willing to put up with Franziska's complaining like Mia and Gant were, thumped the silver-haired prosecutor in the back with the end of its scythe before pointing in Kay's direction once again, only this time with a deep, exasperated grunt.

"Fine, I'll go." Franziska angrily huffed as she walked in the desired direction, mumbling under her breath about the foolishly mute ghost as it followed right behind her.

* * *

After several minutes of walking, Franziska found herself in a gloomy-looking cemetery. The area was a good-sized one- about as large as a public park- packed full of graves of varying sizes- some standing straight while others slanted off to the side from years of settling. The only greenery was a few trees standing between several of the graves and half-dead grass, which fit the setting quite well.

But Franziska was given no time to take in the scenery as the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come guided her to a spot that Edgeworth, Kay, Pearl, Trucy- who was wearing a baby-blue cloak and hat instead of her reddish-pink outfit- and Simon Blackquill- who had mid-back-length hair styled in a ponytail and prominent bags under his eyes- were all congregating at. In addition to these people who the silver-haired prosecutor was familiar with, there were two strangers: a girl wearing a yellow suit and had her long reddish-orange hair styled into a ponytail that hung off to her left side; and either a child or a short man wearing a red sleeveless vest on top of a white dress shirt and matching red pants with two brown horns, or maybe it was just an unfortunate hair style.

"Where's Phoenix Wright?" Franziska asked as she scanned the area. "Did he foolishly decide not to show up without telling his foolish friends?"

Once again, the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come remained silent, choosing to let its actions speak for themselves as it pointed into the crowd. So, to satisfy her curiosity, Franziska walked into the group, simply phasing right through them, and saw where Phoenix was- not standing with his friends, but buried beneath the earth, as seen by a single tombstone that simply read as follows:

 _Here Lies Phoenix Wright_

 _Beloved Attorney, Father, Friend, and Mentor_

 _December 31, 1992 – December 27, 2027_

" _That's a stepladder."_

"Phoenix Wright is… dead?" Franziska said, staring at the tombstone with a look of shock as the girl in the yellow suit walked up to it.

"Hey, Mr. Wright…" The girl said with slumped shoulders as she squeezed her left arm. "There's so much that I want to say. I want to thank you for giving me my start as an attorney, as well as saving Simon. I.. I really appreciate it and… and… WAAAAH!" The girl wailed as she fell on her knees, tears streaming down her face with no restraint. "Why did you have to die!? A week after you saved Simon from… from the-the-the death penalty, some witch kills yoooou! WHHHHYYY! Why, why, why, why…!" The girl screamed, pounding the ground in front of the tombstone with her fists.

"Athena, maybe you should take a step away and-" The horn-haired boy tried to calmly tell the girl, attempting to gently grab her arm to pull her up off the ground, only for her to elbow him in the gut, causing him to grunt in pain.

"No, Apollo! It's not fair!" Athena yelled, flashing the poor guy a death glare. "What is with us and losing our first mentors within our first year of being attorneys?! Mr. Wright's was murdered by some guy with a clock, Mr. Wright himself was killed by some crazy lady, and your psycho girly man was arrested for murder! What is wrong with us!? Why are we cursed!? What's the point of continuing on if something's going to happen to _us_ after _we_ get protégés ourselves!?"

"Take five, Hamlet." Simon coolly responded with a stoic face as he helped Athena to her feet and guided her away from the grave, leaving Apollo alone as he finished recovering from his coworker's assault.

"As you can see, Mr. Wright, Athena's still a bit shaken up over your death, but I'm doing fine. Business is going well at the Anything Agency, Charley's healthy, and the toilet has never been cleaner- we've been cleaning it daily ever since… EM-7..." Apollo sighed, eyeing the grave with a little smile as he tried to hold back a tear. "You know, Mr. Gavin may have been my first mentor, but you were the one that I learned the most from. You taught me how the key to winning a case isn't evidence or testimony, but a strong belief in your client; you taught me that the toughest of times are when an attorney should smile the most; and you taught me how to clean a toilet like no one's business. Sure, I may have complained about the low pay and you letting Trucy abuse me in her shows, but I loved almost every minute of the short time that I spent working with you. But at least you'll have Clay to keep you company in Heaven, which is more than I can say about Mr. Gavin since his execution a few days ago. Just remember, you're Mr. Wright, and you'll always be fine."

Franziska could see the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come's knuckles whitening as it squeezed the life out of its scythe's handle, growling and glowering at Apollo as he stepped away from the grave, allowing Simon to take his place.

"That was a very heart-warming speech, Justice-dono…. I may have not known you for very long, Wright-dono, but you were a good, honorable man and a worthy courtroom adversary. To think that your murderer- that cowardly, honorless, snake-in-the-grass- was a prosecutor…" The Twisted Samurai said with a brief look of disgust on his face. "No. I won't allow her vile being to ruin this... So to return the favor of you taking care of Athena, as well as saving me, I will recite a haiku that I have written in your honor…"

Simon took a crumpled sheet of paper out of his coat pocket and, after clearing his throat, began reading from it.

 _Attorney so pure,_

 _Good man as bright as the sun,_

 _Bluffed like none before._

After reading his poem, the ex-convict stepped back as Pearl stepped forward.

"Mr. Nick, I know that you're dead, but don't you use that as an excuse to date other women in the afterlife! You need to stay loyal to Mystic Maya!" Pearl yelled, rolling her sleeve up and holding up a clenched fist. "But don't you worry, Mr. Nick! I heard that the mean lady who killed you is dead, so I'll use my authority as Mystic Maya's second-in-command to get revenge on her! I'll have one of the apprentice spirit mediums channel her, so that I can beat her within an inch of her life! And then I'll have another medium channel her so I can beat her up again! And then I'll have another one after that channel her so that I _and_ the first two mediums can beat her up! And then-"

"That's enough, Pearl…" Trucy sullenly said she walked up to her father's tombstone, prompting the young spirit medium to take a step back. "Hi Daddy... I'm trying to stay strong like you would have wanted, but it's so hard. You may have been my second daddy, but you were the best daddy in the whole world. I know that you're probably worrying about me along with my first daddy in Heaven, but don't. Uncle Edgeworth adopted me and is funding my magic career. I love you, Daddy..." Trucy sniffled as she bent down to hug the tombstone.

As the young magician continued to hug the stone, Edgeworth stepped forward.

"Hello, Wright. As Trucy so eloquently stated, I've adopted her… I know, big shock- ice-cold Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth shows his soft side. And while I agree that normally the notion of me adopting children would sound ludicrous, Trucy's situation was too similar to my own to refuse. Her father, a righteous defense attorney and my best friend, had just finished a trial, only to die at the hands of an earthquake, an elevator power outage, and a hate-filled prosecutor. So in your memory, Trucy will keep your last name… after all, how could I hope to compete with you? …And don't worry, Wright. I won't do to Trucy what Manfred von Karma did to me. I will allow her to choose whatever career path she desires and support her every step of the way." Edgeworth let out a long sigh as he put a hand on his best friend's tombstone. "I really miss you, Wright…"

Wishing to comfort her former boss, Kay slowly approached the Chief Prosecutor and gave him a soft hug from behind.

"Just remember, Mr. Edgeworth, if you need anything, just say the word and I'll steal away all that sadness from you." Kay whispered, pressing her cheek against the back of her former boss' suit.

"Thank you, Kay. That… That means a lot. But if you tried to take away my sadness, you'd be crushed by the weight of it… figuratively speaking, that is."

"Ok. Just remember that I'm always willing to help."

"Well, if you insist…" Edgeworth said as he slowly turned to face his former assistant. "I have some business that I must attend to alone, so could you and the others go on ahead down to Eldoon's?"

"It would be my pleasure. C'mon, everyone! Let's head over to Eldoon's, where the noodles are salty and on Mr. Edgeworth!"

Kay and the rest of the group left the cemetery, with the exception of Edgeworth, who walked further back.

"Spirt, I have a bad feeling about how you'll answer this next question, but I must know… Did I… Where was I while Miles Edgeworth and the others were paying their respects just now? Was I busy working?" Franziska nervously asked.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come shook its head before pointing down at a grave marker that was at ground-level, barely noticeable unless being sought after- made worse by the fact that it was mostly covered with dead leaves, making it unknown as to who this sad grave belonged to.

"No…" Franziska muttered as she fell to her knees. "This… This can't be!"

The cloaked spirit slammed the head of its scythe next to the grave as it began to slowly sweep away the leaves, revealing the name letter by letter, with the first one being an 'F'.

"No…" The silver-haired prosecutor gasped as her body tensed up.

The next letter was an 'r'.

"No…!"

The third letter was an 'a'.

"Say this isn't so, Spirit!" Franziska shrieked.

The following letter was an 'n'.

"Spirit! Are these foolish visions things that will be or things that could be, but can be prevented!? Tell me!" Franziska pleaded with a tone of pure terror.

But much to the silver-haired prosecutor and Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come's surprise, the next letter was not a 'z', but a 'k'.

"Whew…" Franziska sighed in relief. "For a minute, I thought that I was Phoenix Wright's deceased killer and that you were showing me _my_ grave."

But unfortunately for the silver-haired prosecutor, her relief was short-lived as the cloaked spirit slapped its forehead, as if to say that it made an idiotic mistake, and pointed to atop a small hill where Edgeworth was currently standing with his shoulders slumped.

"What is Miles Edgeworth looking at, Spirit?" Franziska asked, her view obstructed by the Chief Prosecutor's back. Though not surpassingly, the specter remained silent and instead nudged Franziska in the direction of her adoptive brother with a poke of the end of its scythe.

When Franziska reached the top of the hill, she could see just what Edgeworth was staring at, a sight that filled her with a cold feeling of dread as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up out of fear.

Firmly planted in the ground was a weathered, old whip that looked like it had been left out in the elements for months- her whip- with a sticky note attached to the end that had a simple inscription which was sloppily-written in red crayon.

 _Franzy_

 _She was hot_

" _Larry Butz is really, really hot."_

"Hello, Franziska." Edgeworth morosely said, his hands folded together and head lowered. "I'm sorry that it's just me again. Everyone still feels a great deal of animosity towards you after how you brutally killed Wright just because he beat you in court again after getting his badge back; and frankly, I don't blame them. You literally repeated how your father killed mine back in 2001- ending up in the court records room after wandering around the courthouse in shock; the power going out due to an earthquake, only to turn back on when you pushed the button to open the elevator door; finding Wright, Trucy, and Gumshoe inside; and finally using Gumshoe's gun to shoot Wright straight in the heart and blame the murder on his poor daughter. The only difference is that you lacked the fatal flaw that doomed your father: the bullet in his shoulder. But alas, that issue was traded for another in the form of the pigment of your beloved gloves rubbing off on the gun's handle, proving your guilt. But considering that Mr. Justice and Ms. Cykes were the defense team, it should come off as no surprise that such a seemingly minor detail would prove pivotal in discovering the truth… Though it would be more satisfying if the truth didn't reveal my dear sister to being as coldblooded a killer as her father before her…"

Edgeworth paused as he lightly rubbed his fingers on the sticky note serving as his perfectionist sibling's headstone.

"Once again, Franziska, I must apologize for this sad excuse for a headstone. Even if you did cause an innocent girl to lose her beloved adoptive father, deprive two greenhorn attorneys of a mentor and father figure, and me of my best friend, you deserve at the very least a decent monument to your life. But alas, whenever I'd have a new headstone put in, I'd return the next day to find it smashed to pieces and the phrase 'That's for killing my legal eagle D.I.L.F.!' sprayed on what was left of the base in blue paint. So I eventually just gave up and decided that your whip would have to make due. As for the sticky note, that was all Larry. He wanted to make it known that you were, as he put it, 'a foxy lady who could make him testify anytime whose hotness had to be immortalized'. I know it's ridiculous, but every time I try to remove the idiotic note, he replaces it. It's like he comes here every day on patrol or something…"

Edgeworth kneeled down on one knee so that he was at eye-level to the whip.

Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that despite what the others may think, I forgive you for what you did to Wright. If anyone is to blame for his untimely demise, it's not you, but rather… myself. If… If only I had been more available to talk to you, or would have been more assertive in helping you move past the unreal expectations we were raised with, I could have saved you from this dark path. So for that… I'm sorry." Edgeworth sniffled as a lone tear dripped from his eyes, slightly soaking the handle of the worn whip.

Feeling as if he had said all that he needed to say, the Chief Prosecutor, a once-proud man who appeared capable of rising above any situation with an air of intelligence and grace, walked away from the area with his head held low and a look of defeat on his face.

"Spirit! Why show me this if I am beyond all hope!?" Franziska roared as she gestured to her miserable excuse for a grave. "I am a changed woman who has learned the folly of her ways! Just tell me what I must do to prevent my untimely demise!"

"…It's too bad you feel that way, Ms. von Karma. For I find this future to be quite delightful." The Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come said in a deep, wispy voice filled with sinister delight.

"In what foolish way is this future good?! I'm dead and almost everyone I know hates me!" Franziska snarled as she pulled at her whip.

"Oh, I wasn't referring to you…" The robed ghost coolly stated as it removed its hood to reveal its face, the face of Kristoph Gavin. "I was talking about myself."

"It can't be…!" Franziska gasped in shock, only to immediately give the former defense attorney a confused look. "Who are you again?"

"Please tell me you're joking…" Kristoph growled as he pushed his glasses up. "I'm Kristoph Gavin."

"Sorry, but that name doesn't ring a bell."

"For the love of… Kristoph Gavin, the Coolest Defense in the West! I was present in not only the Ghost of Christmas Present's portion of tonight's intervention, but on your walk home from the Prosecutor's Office mere hours prior when you got into an argument with Wright over caroling in the street! How could you _not_ remember me?! I was a god among defense attorneys!" Kristoph snapped as he glared daggers at the silver-haired prosecutor.

"What can I say? I don't really bother to remember the names of foolish defense attorneys that aren't Phoenix Wright."

"Well, let's see if _THIS_ helps you remember me!" Kristoph roared as he sliced the ground in front of the grave with his scythe, causing the earth beneath Franziska's feet to start shaking as a large fissure opened up. Immediately following the fissure's formation, the silver-haired prosecutor was drawn into the abyss by a strong stream of air; but luckily for Franziska, she was able to grab onto the ledge before she could fall in.

"Spirit! Help me! I promise that I will change my ways! Just save me!" The terrified prosecutor desperately pleaded, clinging to the ledge for dear life as Kristoph hovered above her with a sneer.

"Look on the bright side, Ms. von Karma. You manage to accomplish something that I could only dream of: killing Phoenix WRIIIIIIIIIIGHHT!" The psychotic spirit screeched as his glasses fell off, revealing his blank pupils, and his usually well-kept hair came undone and waved and fluttered in the air like a violent, roaring flame.

Kristoph then used his scythe to sever off Franziska's arms, causing her to fall into the darkness of the abyss.

* * *

 **A/N:** In my rush to get the last chapter out in a timely manner, I forgot to include my reply to a guest commenter who gave the second chapter a review. To rectify this mistake, I shall respond to them here.

 **InjusticeforAll:** I'm glad that you liked how I handled Mia. Whenever I play the original trilogy, I like to think that while Mia tries to look cheerful and helpful on the outside when she's channeled, deep down she is mentally cursing out Phoenix and Maya. Granted, while Mia is willing to help in actual emergencies- like when Phoenix was about to be convicted for her murder, or when she was helping the police locate Maya when de Killer kidnapped her, or when the vengeful spirit of Dahlia was trying to murder Maya on Eagle Mountain- she probably draws the line at the less meaningful times, like when Maya channeled her just so she could sit in the detention center, or the times when Phoenix and Maya essentially pimped her out for evidence and testimony to a nine-year-old boy and a seedy old man. I personally believe that Mia's final words in _Trials and Tribulations_ about her having nothing left to teach Phoenix was a nice way of saying "Have me channeled one more time and you'll be the one in need of channeling."

The von Karma family is one filled with many mysteries and unanswered questions. We know a lot about Manfred and Franziska, yet we know virtually nothing about the latter's older sibling and mother outside of seldom references from the former. For Franziska's mother, all we know about her is that she was apparently an extremely talented cook if Manfred von Karma, Mr. Perfect-or-Die, actually praised her for her skill. So knowing the rather unpredictable nature of cooking, we can assume that Franziska's mother possessed a sharp, quick wit and calm air about her. These traits would be seen as quite attractive to a man such as Manfred. He wouldn't want some weak-willed woman who was as meek and delicate as a springtime daisy, but rather a woman who could provide him with mental stimulation and wasn't afraid to speak her mind in a well-organized, logical manner. Hence why I depict Hedy as calmer version of Franziska. But when it comes to OCs, no matter how much thought I put into their development, I'm always nervous as to how well they'll be received by the readers. So to know that you liked Hedy's character is a big relief.

I'm glad that you liked the Christmas party portion with Manfred taking the term "Christmas spirit" to a whole new level. I actually had that bit planned out ever since I wrote the third chapter of _The von Karma Family Beach Trip_. You see, when I originally wrote this story back in 2015, it had a completely different scene that served as the basis to the second story that I posted to this site, _A von Karma Family Christmas_. So since I knew that I'd be one day revising and uploading this story here, I had to create an entirely different scenario in order to not be lazily reposting older fanfics.

I hope you enjoyed the third chapter with Gant and I appreciate that you commented on the story. It means a lot to me.


	5. A Perfect Christmas Day

**A/N:** Here it is, guys, the final chapter. It's been a real hectic experience trying to finish this story in time for Christmas, but it was more than worth it if you guys have fun reading it. Whatever your plans are for this holiday season, I wish you nothing but good times and good health for you and your loved ones. Happy holidays and a Happy New-year to all from CzarThwomp!

* * *

As Franziska fell deeper and deeper into the abyss, her life flashed before her eyes, from her earliest memories as a toddler running around in her childhood home in Dresden to making defendants and their attorneys run away from her out of terror. This was the first time during the course of the evening where the silver-haired prosecutor could truly reflect on her life without being moved from place to place by foolish ghosts; and frankly, after all the things she had witnessed, the suffering that she had brought on, she didn't want to. But what choice did the silver-haired prosecutor have as she fell in this abyss, with nothing to see or touch besides the massless, all-consuming darkness?

But once again, Franziska didn't have much time to think. Though this time, the reason was not a spirit trying to keep to an agenda, but by her landing face down on her bedroom floor with a thud.

"Where… Where am I now?" Franziska nervously asked as she got up off the ground, only to breathe a sigh of relief upon realizing that she was not in some vision of her past or a glimpse of a dark future yet to come, but in her own bedroom.

Suddenly the mysterious grandfather clock that had heralded in the three spirits rang out nine times.

"It's nine o'clock, and there's daylight…" Franziska noted upon seeing a few beams of sunlight seeping in from underneath her blinds. "I wonder…"

The silver-haired prosecutor rolled up the blinds and opened the window to her third-floor apartment, where she saw Cody Hackins- who was wearing a shirt with the Steel Samurai donning a Santa hat and holding a candy cane instead of his usual spear on it- walking down the sidewalk.

"You there, foolish boy!" Franziska called out, prompting the lad to stop in his tracks.

"Who, me?"

"Yes, you there. What is today?"

"It's Christmas Day. What are you, stupid?" Cody asked with an irritated scowl upon his brow before walking away.

"This is perfect! There's still time! I can stop all of those horrible events from happening and so much more! Merry Christmas, everyone!" Franziska bellowed out the window for all to hear before quickly closing it and getting dressed, for she had not a moment to loose.

* * *

After making a few errands, Franziska had arrived at Sebastian's house. Looking down at her watch, the silver-haired prosecutor saw that it was about one in the afternoon, around the time Sebastian would try to end his life.

For about a minute after knocking on the front door, there was no response- no 'I'm coming!' or even the sound of rushed footsteps. So during this time, Franziska just stood there, apprehensive as to whether or not she was too late to alter the future. But thankfully, right as the nervous prosecutor was about to give up hope and leave, the door creaked open just enough so that Sebastian could see who it was there with his red, tear-filled eyes.

"Ms. von Karma…?" Sebastian asked with a tone of disbelief.

"Yes, Sebastian Debeste, it's me." Franziska nodded, prompting the rookie prosecutor to fully open the door.

"So why are you here? Did I make a mistake? Are you here to whip me and call me mean names?" Sebastian whimpered as he bent his baton.

"Why, Sebastian Debeste, I'm hurt…" Franziska said with a tone of fake devastation as she put her hands to her heart. "Is it such a crime for me to visit a friend?"

"But yesterday you said-"

"Forget about what I said yesterday. A lot has happened since last we spoke, and in that time I have learned the folly of my ways. So to apologize for my foolish behavior, I got you a present."

"Is this going to be like my birthday when your 'gift' was a whipping?" Sebastian nervously asked as he slightly closed the door in order to shield himself.

"Not at all. Come, your gift is at my car." Franziska gestured towards the driveway, prompting the anxious lad to follow her out to where her car was parked.

Upon reaching the teal Volkswagen Beetle, Franziska removed a blue bicycle with red trim from a bike rack on the side of the vehicle.

"Merry Christmas, Sebastian Debeste." The silver-haired prosecutor said as she rolled the bike over to a dumbfounded Sebastian.

"Wow!" The emotional prosecutor gasped. "Is…Is this really for me?"

"Well, I felt bad about how I keyed your tricycle-"

"Tri-kai, the best tricycle." Sebastian smugly chimed in.

"Yes, Tri-kai… As I was saying, I felt bad about what I did last week, so I got you a bicycle that's actually designed for adults. So, what do you think?"

"I like it, Ms. von Karma, I really do. But… But I don't know…"

"What's there not to know? It'll probably feel more comfortable to ride and you'll get to places much faster."

"It's just that I'm scared. I never learned how to ride a big boy bike." Sebastian said with his head hung low in shame. "I always wanted to, but Pops would always tell me that I'm too stupid to."

"Don't be foolish, Sebastian Debeste." Franziska said, gently putting her hand on his shoulder. "You are a perfectly capable prosecutor and can do anything that you put your mind to."

"Really?" Sebastian said as he cocked his head in confusion. "But you've always yelled at me for acting foolish."

"That was the old me. Like I said before, I've changed for the better. And I can see now that while you may make many foolish mistakes, your morals and principles are perfect."

"You… You don't know how much I needed to hear that, Ms. von Karma." Sebastian whimpered with a weak smile, trying his best to hold back the tears of joy forming in his eyes. "Can you teach me now so I can ride Bi-kai to work tomorrow!?" The emotional prosecutor asked with a look of pure childlike excitement.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Sebastian Debeste." Franziska grinned with a finger waggle.

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you promise me yesterday that we would watch some Christmas movies?"

"Oh, right! Sorry about that. I was just so excited about Bi-kai that I totally forgot. Come on in!" Sebastian said as he led Franziska into the house and living room that she had visited with Gant. "Sorry that it's just you and me. Everyone I invited said that they had plans. Like Mr. Blackquill had to… um, feed his pet... octopus. That's it! Mr. Blackquill had to feed his pet octopus!" The inculpable prosecutor smirked, obviously proud of his paper-thin lie that could barely fool a six-year-old, let alone a prodigy prosecutor like Franziska.

But instead of calling Sebastian out on his lie, Franziska chose to play along and indulge the poor boy. After all, she knew the real reason for this 'party' and what her disdain towards him would result in.

"Really, an octopus? That's quite the exotic pet."

"Uh-huh! But it's not that surprising. You see, after doing some research, I found out that o-tacos like Mr. Blackquill love it when octopuses give naked people big hugs. I think they call it 'hereby'."

"No matter. I don't care if it's just us, Sebastian Debeste, as long as we can have a good time."

"In that case, you've come to the right place. After all, I am Debeste." Sebastian smirked.

The two prosecutors then proceeded to sit on the couch and watch the movie that was currently playing- _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ , specifically the part where Rudolph had just left the Island of Misfit Toys.

As the hours rolled by, Franziska and Sebastian were having quite a good time watching different Christmas movies, with many jokes and laughs exchanged between them, much to the former's surprise. Franziska was under the assumption that Sebastian would be whining and crying to no end and that she would have to exert every ounce of her strength to bite her tongue and keep herself from whipping the younger adolescent into submission, lest she render her ordeal with the spirits entirely pointless. But thankfully, it didn't have to come down to that because Sebastian was, believe it or not, pretty fun to watch movies with- his foolish questions and comments, while typically grating in an investigation setting, were actually pretty amusing in a more casual gathering. Either Sebastian just simply didn't fit in when it came to more serious situations, or perhaps Franziska herself had finally realized the joys of having friends.

* * *

While Franziska was spending the day with Sebastian, Gumshoe was enjoying his dinner with Maggey, the events playing out identically to those the silver-haired prosecutor had witnessed with Gant.

"Ok, I'll wish Ms. von Karma a merry Christmas…" Maggey sighed with a defeated look on her face. "But only to make you feel better!"

"Thanks, Maggey. That means a lot to me."

As soon as Gumshoe opened a pack of baloney to start the meal, there was a knock at the door.

"Give me a minute, Maggey. I've gotta go see who that is." The scruffy detective stated as he got up from his seat, only to be stopped by his date grabbing his arm. "Hey, what's the matter, pal?"

"Dick, you don't know what psycho's out there! What if it's that crazy guy who was standing in the stairwell eating his own face?"

"Trust me; I have nothing to be afraid of. If anything, all the other people here are afraid of _me_ and think that _I'm_ the crazy one! Apparently, they believe that no sane person can live off my kind of salary and be so positive all the time, so they think that I'm gonna have a breakdown or something and just start killing everyone I see like something out of a horror movie." Gumshoe chuckled.

"Ok…" Maggey said with a tone of apprehension. "Just be careful."

"I will, pal." Gumshoe said as he opened the door and found a man with greasy, curly reddish-orange hair and a long, scraggily beard, wearing a tattered jacket and a tinfoil hat, wobbling next to a nice black leather office chair and holding a paper bag containing a beer bottle.

"Dionysus, what are you doing here?"

"Hiya, Gummy-gum-gum." The disheveled man tittered, taking a hearty swig from the bottle he was holding. "I was guardin'… guardin' da stairway, protectin' the children an' stuff, when some guy in- in- in shorts and a shirt and shoes n'stuff came walkin' in wiff… wiff dis fancy chair. He wasn't foolin' nobody! We don't do nose deliverisies here! I reads my nutrition labels and get ma Vitamin C! So I whacked him wiff ma bottlis 'till he ran away! But then I sees dese address…"Dionysus slurred as he sloppily pointed to an address label attached to the arm of the chair. "And I came here ta sees if ya knew anything about it."

"Well, it is a nice chair, but I sure as heck didn't order it. That thing is worth at least five times my rent, pal."

"Dis can mean only one thing: Da government's behind it!" Dionysus snapped as he slammed his fist against the back of the chair. "Da government sent ya this chair so they can spy on ya and take away yer liver when yer sleepin'- just like how they've been usin' the alpha-beta-kyrptonbosnianafana waves from da t.v. shows ta try an' read my mind! But they don't got nuffin' on me while I'm wearin' ma headgear!" The clearly intoxicated man boasted, patting his tinfoil hat. "I fought in da War on Poverty! An' I was winnin', too, 'til da police stopped me from tryin' ta fight a hobo with ma bottlis!"

"Yeah, thanks for the info, I guess…" Gumshoe hesitantly said.

"Don't mention it, we all good. Say, mind if I keep the letter that came wiff da chair?" Dionysus asked as he held up an envelope. "Says it's from some Franziskava von-somethin'-somethin'…"

"Ms. von Karma?" Gumshoe asked with a look of shock, wasting no time in ripping the envelope out of the intoxicated man's hands.

"So I take it dat you want it?"

"Of course I do, pal!"

"In dat case, if ya need me, I'm gonna be…"

Dionysus abruptly passed out, his limp body sprawled face down on the hallway floor- but that was the last thing on Gumshoe's mind as he opened the envelope and read the letter inside.

 _Dear Scruffy,_

 _I am so sorry for the way that I have treated you over these past few years. I have seen the error of my ways and earnestly desire to make things right. I hope to start by replacing that chair of yours that I foolishly broke yesterday in my foolish fit of rage. I foolishly overreacted like a foolish fool and lashed out against one of the kindest, most diligent detectives in this city. I know that a single chair isn't even close for compensating you for the many transgressions you've had to endure from me, so I will make it my goal to have your salary raised for once. But in the meantime, I hope that you'll enjoy the holiday bonus included with this letter._

 _Now, I know that it is your money to spend, but I have a suggestion: Please put some of it towards getting the breaks on your car checked. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you or anyone else who drives it. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Scruffy. You've earned it._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Franziska von Karma_

Gumshoe eyes widened when he reached into the envelope and pulled out a check for $1,000, causing the detective to start crying tears of joy.

"Dick, what's wrong?" Maggey asked with a tone of concern as she ran over to her whimpering date. "What are you looking at?"

Gumshoe turn to face the girl of his dreams with tears in his eyes and a big grin on his face. "The knowledge that that small shred of kindness in Ms. von Karma has finally come out! Mr. Edgeworth bless us, every one!" The scruffy detective jovially proclaimed as he squeezed Maggey in a tight hug, gazing upon the check in his hands like one would a priceless treasure.

* * *

Later at Edgeworth's Christmas party, the maroon-cladded prosecutor and the other members of his table were engaged in the game of 20 Questions that had so thoroughly angered Franziska to her very core the previous night.

"I know who it is! I know who it is!" Pearl squealed as she frantically waved her right hand in the air. "Is it Ms. Scary Prosecutor Lady?"

"Scary… Prosecutor Lady?" Edgeworth asked in confusion.

"That's the nickname Pearly gave-"

"Franziska…?" Edgeworth gasped, his eyes as wide as saucers when he saw his adoptive sister slowly walking towards his table with slumped shoulders, resembling a remorseful child, prompting him to get up and approach her.

"Miles Edgeworth, can you forgive your foolishly foolish excuse of a foolish big sister?" Franziska sullenly asked, avoiding eye contact with the maroon-cladded prosecutor as to soften the blow of whatever snarky comments would spring forth from his infamous sneer.

But much to Franziska's surprise, his first response wasn't a cold, cutting remark, but rather a warm, tender hug.

"Yes, Franziska..." Edgeworth softly whispered in his adoptive sister's ear. "And I always will."

So from that day forth, Franziska became a better friend, a better boss, a better prosecutor than the great city of Los Angeles had ever known. She walked the earth with the epitome of patience and kindness, choosing to solve her problems with well-thought-out words and not her whip, a tool that she had utilized only twice after her meeting with the spirits: once when Larry wouldn't stop hitting flirting with her five minutes after hugging her dear brother; and once again when visiting Kristoph Gavin's cell after his involvement with Phoenix's disbarment was brought to light. And as for Phoenix, who was NOT murdered, Franziska became like a sister to him and a mother to Trucy, much to Pearl's displeasure. Never again did the prodigy prosecutor see nor hear from the spirits again, for she had learned to live the rest of her days as the embodiment of the Christmas spirit, spreading goodwill and kindness to all.

And so, as Detective Gumshoe so eloquently stated, "Mr. Edgeworth bless us, every one!"

 **THE END**


End file.
